


Harmony of the Galaxy

by KotOR_Luvr



Series: Harmony of the Galaxy [1]
Category: Star Wars Legends: Knights of the Old Republic
Genre: F/M, Self-Insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-02
Updated: 2017-05-30
Packaged: 2018-06-05 23:37:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 80,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6727933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KotOR_Luvr/pseuds/KotOR_Luvr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was just a regular Saturday, nothing special going on. That is, until I somehow get sucked into the gaming world of KotOR. I choose a name that is a symbol of Balance as my cover, but can I ever live up to that name?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Crossing the Border

**Author's Note:**

> This story was originally posted on FFN, but I decided to also post it here on AO3. I'm not too familiar with the layout of this site, but I'm catching onto it fairly quickly. Anyways, I hope y'all enjoy this chapter, and I hope you enjoy the upcoming chapters!

"What are those things?"

"They're called Tuk'ata, creatures that are controlled by the dark side of the Force. Korriban is a dark sided place, so-"

Karen sighed in disgust. "Ugh, Katherine, you gotta remember that it's all not real!"

I rolled my eyes. "Shut up, I know!"

Justin looked up from his phone and said, "Both of you shut up!" I huffed and pounded the buttons on my controller, not taking my eyes off of the TV screen.

I never got along well with my siblings. I was the youngest out of the whole family, being 15 years old. Having three older sisters and three older brothers was a pain, due to the unforgivable amount of teasing. My sister, Karen, was two years older than me. Despite us being biological siblings, we were as opposite as Yin and Yang. She was horribly bossy and she was a 'girly-girl' as I liked to put it, wearing dresses and skirts and doing her hair. I was the 'Tom-boy'. I liked video games, and anything related to tech. I had bad manners, (not to mention a bad mouth) and I hated to wear dresses and skirts. I cut my hair short so I wouldn't have to brush it so often.

Video games was my favourite past time. _Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic_ was my favourite video game. I knew just about everything there was to know about the game, and I played it so much that it actually made my family sick!

"How long have you been playing that for?" Karen asked.

I ignored her for a few small moments before I replied irritably. "What's it to you?"

"I have a show I want to watch!"

I sighed again. "Katherine, turn off the stupid game!" I heard Justin say.

I growled quietly. I knew I couldn't argue with any of my siblings (save Karen) and win, so I saved my game and got up out of my seat that was in front of the TV.

I stood on my tip-toes to reach the XBOX console, and pressed the power button. It didn't turn off. I pressed it a few more times, but it still wouldn't turn off.

"Katherine..."

I snapped at her. "Shut up, Karen! I'm trying to turn it off, but it isn't!" I pressed the button a few more times, and glared at my sister. "See!?"

"Let me try it." She offered, standing up from the couch.

I raised my hand and made a 'go-away' gesture. "No, I got it!"

Having lost my patience with quite literally everything and everyone in the room, I smacked the gaming console in an attempt to get it to turn off. The humming of the console stopped, and I smirked in triumph.

I felt something warm and fuzzy crawling up my arm. Thinking it was a spider, I yanked my arm from the console and shook it vigorously. Justin and Karen looked at me. "What's wrong?"

"I thought I felt a spider crawling up my arm..." I reply sheepishly.

Justin laughed quietly. "You're such a wuss!" He gasped between laughs. I scowled at him, shaking my head.

"Ya' happy now, Karen?" I asked sarcastically. She didn't bother to reply. I took a seat beside her on the couch, and whipped my iPod out from my jean pocket. I opened up the KotOR app that I installed a few days prior to today (I know: I'm a geek.) and played from my last save point on Dantooine.

I had that warm fuzzy feeling crawling up my arms again, and I shook them out instinctively. It wouldn't go away, and soon that feeling went all the way down to my legs, and up to my head.

I set my iPod beside me and shook my limbs out and taking deep breaths. After I was done that, I picked up my iPod again and continued to play. I was fine for about ten minutes before I felt a little queasy. I heard my stomach growl. Thinking I was hungry, I got up to go to the kitchen and make myself some scrambled eggs.

My head felt horribly light, and I grabbed the edge of the stove to balance myself. I shook my head, but it didn't help me. Letting go of the stove, I walked towards the fridge to get some eggs.

Oddly enough, I didn't see the family dog lying in the middle of the floor, and I tripped over her. I hit my head off of the edge of the counter before I hit the floor.

The last thing I remember hearing before I blacked out was a voice that I didn't seem to recognize. It said one thing.

_Keep the peace. Maintain the balance._


	2. Home? Not Here.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which I wake up in a freaky place with freaky people in a freaky room. In short, everything is freaky. Even me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter is dull, but it's just the start of the adventure! Hope y'all enjoy!

I groaned as bright sunlight hit my eyes. It was probably my sister trying to wake me up. "Karen, please close the curtains." I mumbled.

The sunlight still flashed in my eyes, causing me to stir. "I said 'close the curtains' please!" I repeated a little louder.

"Karen!" I shouted, turning on my bed sharply to get off. I guess I was right on the edge of my bed because I fell off as soon as I turned. I grunted as I landed on my stomach, cursing under my breath.

"She's awake." I heard her say.

I growled. "Of course I'm awake, you ninny! You opened my curtains!" I rolled onto my back and opened my eyes slowly. I saw a pair of greyish-blue eyes stare back at me. "Emily?" I asked, thinking it was my other sister. **What is she doing home? She should still be at University...**

"Are you alright?" She asked, her accent soft but noticeable. **Wait, 'accent'?!** Emily didn't have a British accent, none of my family had accents at all!

My eyes widened in fear, I stood up rapidly and shoved the person away. A woman, no older than Emily, stood in front of me in a regal posture. "Back off..." I warned her with a shaky voice.

"It is alright, you are not in any danger." She replied calmly. I shook my head.

Out of bad habit, I began to 'study' this woman. She stood no taller than me, around 5" 4'. She had dark brown hair tied into pigtails and 'Russian Blue' eyes. Her clothing was... odd. It looked like a one-piece jumpsuit...

Another voice reached my ears. "Bastila, just don't talk to her and let her calm down." **Bastila? Where have I heard that name...**

"Oh, shit..." I swore aloud. The woman called 'Bastila' looked incredulous at my sudden curse. "I beg your pardon?" I didn't hear her. I was to shocked to register what she had said. **Bastila. Bastila** Shan **?! But, that cannot be true! She's a fictional character!**

She did look a lot like Bastila from the game... "I said, 'don't talk to her'."

My eyes darted to the direction of the voice. Another woman, somewhat taller than me, stood beside 'Bastila'. White hair, tied in a braid. Bronze eyes and olive skin...

It was a horribly cliché question, but it was the only one I could think of. "Who are you?"

The white-haired woman spoke in what seems to be an Irish accent. "I am Winter Galzeio." She gestured her hand to 'Bastila', "and this is my companion Bastila Shan."

Winter Galzeio was the name of my character for the game! "Oh." Was all that came from my mouth.

"You are on a ship called the _Ebon Hawk_ ," she continued, "we were escaping Davik's estate when you suddenly showed up."

I chuckled, and then I laughed. "Funny. ' _Ebon Hawk_ '. Heh, this is just a dream, right?" I looked around the small room I was in. "This isn't real." I pointed at them, "you're not real."

"Clearly you are in shock from what happened." I heard 'Bastila' say. "The wound on your arm caused you to lose a fair amount of blood."

"Wound?" I looked onto my arm, and saw blood-stained bandages wrapped around it. I touched it, and winced at the sharp pain that it evoked. **Well, I'm not dreaming...**

I looked between the two women, the smile on my face disappearing. "Take me home."

"What?" They both said in unison.

"I will not answer _anything_ until you take me home!" My breathing suddenly became sporadic as a panic attack began to set in. "Take me back home, where my siblings and my parents are!"

Winter stepped towards me, her hands up in a calming gesture. "Taris is gone..."

" _I don't care_!" I shouted.

I don't know why, but I felt as if someone had just ripped my heart out. I sat back down on the bed, placing my hands in my lap. "I want to go home..." I muttered.

Silence filled the room as I contemplated what had happened. I was apparently in the world of Star Wars. All the way back into around 3958 B.B.Y I thought it was, when Revan and Malak came back from the Wars...

"I thought Zabraks were more _composed_ than this." I heard Bastila whisper. My head shot up at her comment. _This is creepy..._ "Zabrak?"

I felt the top of my head. The feeling of horns confirmed what she said. I was apparently a Zabrak, Iridonian. Creepy.

"What's your name?" asked Winter.

**My name?** Crap. I instantly thought of a name. I also thought of an accent I should use. I was a sucker for using accents with people who didn't know me, so I couldn't really resist the urge to do so then. **Try Australian...**

"My name..." I hesitated slightly, "is Harmony. Harmony Velo." **Ok, what kind of a name is** that **?!**

Seeing that I was a little more calm, Winter approached me and offered her hand. I shook it briefly. "Welcome to the _Ebon Hawk_."

I nodded solemnly. "Winter, do not tell me you are considering to allow her to travel with us!?" Bastila asked incredulously.

"Maybe."

I sighed. "Should it matter? You could just drop me off on the next stop if you wanted to..."

I stood up and straightened my tank-top and jeans. "So, are you two the only ones on the... Ship?" I already knew the answer to that, but I needed to act as if I didn't know anything for the time being.

Winter shook her head. "No. There are a total of seven people on this ship." She smiled politely. "Would you like to meet them?"

I nodded. "Sure. Ok, that sounds good." I followed her out of (what I could only assume was,) the Med-lab, and into the corridor.

She led me into the Main Hold, where a majority of the crew was. "The Wookiee is Zaalbar."

She gestured beside him, "and the blue Twi'lek is his friend, Mission Vao."

Mission waved at me. "Hey! You're the one that was in Davik's estate, right?" I nodded my head. "I guess."

"You took a nasty hit on your arm. You passed out from all the blood, but Canderous carried you into the ship!" She commented.

"Mm. I se- ow!" I exclaimed as I felt something collide with my leg. I looked down to see a small silver droid. "Hello!" I said. "You're cute." I kneeled down to pat his 'head'.

"That's T3-M4, an astromech droid. He helped us get off Taris."

I nodded again, standing up. "He's cute." Winter chuckled. "That's what I said when he first joined us."

I smiled at that. "Winter, you're needed in the cock-pit." I turned around and saw a man in a familiar orange jacket. "Carth Onasi." I said aloud.

It took Carth's glare to make me realize my mistake. "How do you know who I am?"

"You're a well known Republic soldier." I answered quickly. "A lot of people know about you." **Idiot! That's a stupid come-back!**

"Don't worry about it, Carth." Winter told him. "I'll be there in a moment."

He nodded and walked back to the cock-pit. "So, if you head into the garage," she pointed to the corridor on the left, "you'll see Canderous. Don't be too frightened by his appearance, he's a good guy."

I nodded and she turned back in the direction in which we came from to attend to... Whatever she needed to.

I shrugged to myself and went to the garage. **Wasn't too scary in the game, either.**

I entered the garage and looked around the room. "Hello?" I called out. My eyes fell onto the workbench, and I gasped. "No. Way."

A Heavy Repeater Rifle sat on the workbench. I knew it was Canderous's rifle, but it didn't register at that moment. I walked to the workbench, stretching my hand out to touch the weapon. "Heavy repeater. Rotating chamber and dual-handed triggers!" I told myself. "You have to hold the triggers down at the same time in order for it to work..." I glanced at the various buttons and switches. "Hmm, no option to change the radiation from 'lethal' to 'stun'. Typical of Mandalorians..."

"That much is true, kid."

I yelped at the gruff voice. Turning around and instinctively balling my hand in a fist, I lashed out at whoever was behind me. My fist connected with an arm, but the person didn't flinch.

My eyes were levelled to someone's chest, and I looked up to see a pair of steely grey eyes glaring at me. "Good hit, kid. Not very strong, but good."

I retracted my hand and laughed nervously. "Heh, sorry about that. You're Canderous Ordo, right?"

He nodded his head. "Yeah, I am." He gestured to his rifle. "You into weaponry?"

I put my hands in my pockets and shrugged. "Nah, I know a little about different melee and blaster weapons, but I don't know about origins and stuff like that." I shrugged again.

"Then how the hell did you know that much about my blaster? It was customized, not an official design." I didn't have an answer, so I just shruuged. He passed by me and patted the rifle. "I made this when I was twenty years old."

"Cool."

An awkward silence passed between us before he asked, "you got a name, kid?"

"Harmony. Harmony Velo, and don't call me a kid! I'm fifteen years old!" He chuckled, and I glared at him. "You almost sound like the Twi'lek."

I rolled my eyes. Despite him being a jerk in most moments, he was probably my most favourite character in the whole game. He and I would get along just fine. Hopefully.

"Do you know where we're heading?" I asked him. Of course, I knew where we were headed, but to them, I was just some stowaway. I _shouldn't_ know where we're going, so I would just play dumb for the time being.

He shrugged. "Beats me. Republic wouldn't tell me anything, neither would the stuck-up Jedi princess."

I attempted to stifle a laugh at the name he used for Bastila. "Nice name for her..."

He smiled. "I thought so too, kid."


	3. Choices to be Made

I didn't know what to do. I was just so bored and without any technological stuff like my iPod, and just that factor made things worse! So, I just decided to kill time and check out the ship, despite the fact that I already knew the entire layout.

There was a lot of stuff that the camera angles missed in the game, so I saw things that you normally wouldn't on the computer or tv. For example, I saw the hidden compartment in the starboard dorm. I tried to open it, but I had very little luck. My eye also managed to catch sight of a small door.

Out of pure curiosity, I opened the door without thinking of the possible consequences. "Just a bathroom." I muttered to myself. The bathroom, or _refresher_ as it's called, had everything that a normal bathroom would; a shower, a sink, a mirror...

**Mirror!** I briskly walked into the 'fresher. Ever since Bastila said that I was a Zabrak, I've been itching to know what I looked like. Boy, did I ever have the shock of my life!

I didn't look anything like I did when I was human, everything had changed. My hair was now long and in a high-placed ponytail, streaks of black and blonde flowing together, and a pattern of sharp, long horns protruded from my skull. My skin was not its natural copper, but now it was a slightly dark brown.

This was all normal for a Zabrak, but the only thing that confused me was my eyes. They were not one solid colour but two colours, one purple and the other yellow. Natural eye colours for a Zabrak, but it was very unnatural for a Zabrak to have _two_ eye colours.

I noticed that on my face I had these lines that created patterns, they were on my arms as well. "Zabrak markings," I shuddered. "Creepy..."

"What's creepy?"

I jumped and shrieked as Mission spoke. "Don't scare me like that!" I scolded.

"Sorry." She apologized. "So, what's creepy?" She asked me again. I shrugged.

"Just talkin' to myself, mate." Was my reply.

"Oh."

I brushed past her and back into the dorm, and she followed close behind me. After I got seated on one of the bunks, Mission shot questions at me like a semi-automatic gun. "So, what's your name?"

"Harmony Velo."

"How old are you?"

"Fifteen."

I nearly chuckled as she gasped. "I'm fourteen, you're only a year older than me! Phew, and I thought I'd be the only teenager on this ship!"

I shrugged. She asked me another question, "What's your home planet? You have a family?"

I felt my shoulders tense and my mind wandered. 'Zoning out' I called it. Zabraks lived on Iridonia, on the outer rim. Should I tell her about my immediate family or my biological family, or should I make it up as I went along? I was a really good liar, but I knew people would figure stuff out eventually. What if someone went to search my family name? They'd easily know that I'm not real; either assuming I'm a spy or I'm not supposed to be her and that was the last thing that I needed!

"- you doing? YO, you ok?" I was snapped out if my reverie by Missions' loud voice. A mixture of confusion, amusement, and concern was etched in her face. "Sorry," I apologized. "I tend to do that."

She shrugged. "Ok. So, your family?" She repeated her question. I hesitated briefly before I answered her. I didn't feel like lying, telling a truth, or even telling the truth by making a lie.

"Sorry if this offends you but I don't think we're ready for this kind of a conversation yet, mate. I just met you guys, and-"

She held up her hands to stop me from talking further. "Yeah, that's fine." She shifted uncomfortably on her bunk.

As the conversation died, I became extremely restless. I started to drum my hands, making a beat and I nodded my head with it. I placed my foot on the floor and tapped, making a new sound for the tune. **I need my iPod...**

"What you girls doing?"

I turned my head to the dorm entrance to see Winter leaning against the frame. "Nothin' much." I replied. Mission was a little more open than I, and said, "We just talked for a little bit. Then she started doing this funky thing with her hands."

I sighed. "It's not a 'funky thing'. It's just tapping."

Winter cocked her head curiously. "So, are you the musical type?" I shook my head. "Not really. I'm more-or-so the visual artist."

Mission moved forward slightly on the bunk. "So you, like, draw and paint and stuff like that?" I nodded. "That's so cool!"

Winter nodded. "Anyways, we're a few minutes away from Dantooine. Just a small heads up, 'kay?"

"Why Dantooine?" I asked. "Why not a more tropical planet, like Yavin or Endor?"

"Because Bastila needs to talk to the Jedi Council. For whatever reason. And it's a place to lay low so the Sith can't find us."

I shrugged. "That's not my problem, 'cause I'm just a straggler."

"Wait, you're not staying with us?" Mission inquired. I shook my head. "No. I was and am a straggler, and I'm best on my own." I pointed my finger at Winter, "and before you say it, I ain't a kid! I can take care of myself just fine, thanks!"

She burst out laughing. I didn't even smirk, I just gave her my most convincing 'death stare' as she continued to laugh at me.

She wiped a tear from her face, attempting to contain her laughter. "I'm sorry, but you just sound so much like Mission when we first met her!"

I just continued to stare at her. When she managed to regain her composure, she sighed. "Alright, well, if you do plan on leaving, then you'll need this." She handed me what I recognized as my school backpack. (Which, for some unknown reason, I did not see her holding before)

I was confused as to how my backpack got here, but I still took it. "Thanks." I unzipped the 'pack and looked at its contents. It had my sketchbook and pencil case, my glasses, and my two pocket-knives in their holding pockets, and my throwing knife (yes, I have only one throwing knife).

I checked the second pocket. It contained my customized bow (which could fold up) with a few arrows in a leather quiver, and at the bottom of my backpack was my iPod! **Oh thank goodness!**

Mission stared at the weapons that I had. "That's a lot of weaponry you have! You fight a lot?" I shrugged. "No, not really. I use my bow just for the sake of it, same for my throwing knife. As for my pocket knives," I gingerly placed them back in their respective pockets, "I just have them for scaring people off and using them to whittle at wood."

"I don't fancy hurting people, it's just not..." I struggled to find the word. **Moral? Ethical? Proper?** "Right." I finished.

Winter shifted from her position at the door. "Then how are you able to take care of yourself if you won't hurt people?"

My anger boiled at her. "Well excuse me, but I happen to be a fine escape artist!" A partial lie, as I never actually escaped from somewhere, but I have thought up different situations where I could apply some of my tactics. Before Winter could reply to my claim, Carth came into the dorms. "Winter, we're just about ready to dock onto Dantooine."

"Oh goody." I replied sarcastically as I began to put everything back into my bag. Carth must've noticed my weapons, because he immediately started to question Winter. "Why did you give her her weapons back?"

"Because I'm leaving as soon as this rust-bucket hits ground, so quit your complaining!" I snapped as I zipped up my bag.

I could practically feel Carth's distrust towards me, and the way he shook his head at me. "Fine by me, then." He then headed back, presumably, to the cock-pit to land the _Ebon Hawk_.

Winter sighed. "I'll have to ask that you forgive his behaviour, he has some trust issues." I nodded sharply. "I understand."

She nodded and then left the room. I looked to Mission whom had a nearly sad expression on her face. "I guess I am the only teenager on the ship." I chuckled.

"Oi, use that to your advantage! You're small, young, and frankly a little more open-minded than the adults on this ship. Use those brains I know you've got to contribute to the group." Mission seemed to perk up a little at that statement.

"Yeah, hey, you're right!" She smiled. "Thanks, Harmony!" I smiled back and nodded my head.

She and I had continued to talk until we landed on Dantooine. Although you could barely feel the landing, the sudden stillness of the air hinted that we had stopped. I placed the straps of my bag over my shoulders. "Well, guess that's my cue to leave."

"Do you have to leave?" Mission asked me pitifully. I nodded. "Sadly, yes. I cannot afford to stay with you guys."

Truth be told, I actually couldn't. I knew everything about the game, everything, and I knew that with my big mouth something would slip eventually, and I could potentially shift the destiny of the galaxy with a single sentence. I couldn't afford to do that. Whatever changes the past, could change the future.

"Then you should at least eat something before you leave." I shifted my gaze to Canderous, whom of which was in the doorway. "There's not a single town for days if you walk, you'll have to eat something."

I raised an eyebrow at the Mandalorian's uncharacteristic hospitality. **What's he trying to pull, here?** "Fine." I said.

Canderous lead me to the storage room and opened up what I could only assume to be the rations compartment. He took out a few food items and handed them to me. "Eat these, they'll give you enough energy to last a while."

I looked at the objects he handed me. They looked to be like some kind of fruit, but I never took the time back home to research Star Wars foods. "Mm, thanks." I chose a spot in the room and placed myself down on the floor, crossing my legs one over the other, (Kind of like 'criss-cross apple-sauce', but my legs weren't crossed; my right leg often overlapped my left.) and started at my meal.

"Why are you leaving?" He asked me. I shrugged helplessly. "Because, as I said to Mission, I cannot afford to stay here."

He didn't leave it at that. "Why can't you?" My shoulders slumped over as I realized that he wouldn't leave me alone unless he got a straight answer from me. "Ugh, just because, mate! Listen, I'm gonna tell you this and this only; people like me have a very bad knack to... change things. Ok?"

He shrugged. "Fair enough."

After a few moments of silence, (and eating food that tasted like bananas) I decided to ask him a question; "Why does it even matter whether or not if I stay?"

He shrugged, and I nearly growled at him. "Allow me to rephrase that," I stood up rapidly and made myself stand a couple of feet away from the bulky Mandalorian, not caring if he towered over me by several feet. "Why would it matter _to you_ if I stay here or not?"

He paused for a few moments, but I still stood there so I could get an answer out of him.

Just when he was about to answer, Carth came into the storage room. "Harmony?"

I growled under my breath. I turned as calmly as I could and crossed my arms over my chest. "What is it that you need?" I asked stiffly.

He was not very intimidated by my barely controlled anger. "Bastila said that the Jedi need to speak with Winter-" I sighed. "What does that have to do with me?!"

He held up his hand as a way to silence me. "If you'd let me finish, Harmony." I narrowed my eyes at him. "Thank-you. As I was saying, the Jedi council need to speak with Winter, and for reasons that are beyond me, they also need to speak with you."

My jaw nearly dropped at his statement. "The hell they do..." I said disbelievingly. Carth held up both his hands, "Don't ask me!"

I looked at Canderous, who just shrugged helplessly. I sighed dramatically, grabbing my backpack off the ground. "Fine, they win," I shoved past both Canderous and Carth. "but the literal _second_ that they're done, I'm leaving!" I turned and poked a finger at Carth.

"And _no one_ is going to stop me!" He just continued to stare at me, and I quickly turned and headed towards the exit of the _Ebon Hawk_.

Despite my outward appearance, I was completely baffled as to why the Council wanted to speak with me. I wasn't even supposed to be in this world, why would I have any significance, here? I quickly replayed the scene on Dantooine through my head. Bastila went to talk with the Council _before_ Winter (or Revan) went to speak with them. The reason Winter was to speak to the council, was because (aside from _being_ who she is) she was a supposedly 'special case', that she was extremely force-sensitive and because she has a bond with Bastila.

**I have none of those things, so why request my presence?** I wondered.

I was so consumed in my thoughts, that I wasn't even paying attention to where I was walking and what was ahead of me. I bumped into someone, causing me to stumble back slightly. "Sorry." I quickly apologized.

I looked to the person I had walked into, and I was nearly shocked out of my pants. " _That_ _is quite alright, young one._ " The Chiss replied with a smile, speaking in his native language, Minnisiat. I nodded, and walked past him. **How am I able to understand that guy? I don't even** speak **Minnisiat!** I shook my head, and continued to walk to the Council chambers.

"Hey, would you hold on a minute?" I stopped to allow Carth to catch up with me. "I thought I was walking at a reasonable speed, Lieutenant." I sneered at him.

I started to walk again the second he was beside me. "You call that 'walking'?" I rolled my eyes at him. "Well, between being in a high school that only gave you fourty-five minute lunches, which granted almost no time to head uptown to get food, and having only five minutes to get to your next class, I've learned that I have to pick up the pace if I ever want to make it _anywhere_." **And to get away from you.** He only grunted in response.

I quickly cut across the small area that had the tree, where many Jedi and their Padawans were meditating. Upon reaching the entrance to the council chambers, I stopped and took a deep breath. I was nervous, and I didn't know why. "Tally ho." I muttered under my breath. **  
**

I stepped into the chambers, straightening my posture as to not expose my nervousness. Bastila and Winter were already there, making me feel a little conspicuous. Think of it as being the last student to enter the class after the bell went, and having to sit in the front row of the class-room.

All of the Jedi Masters were there, as expected. Vandar Tokare, Zhar Lestin, Vrook Lamar, and Dorak. They all looked towards me expectantly. A part of my head was screaming for me to run, but my gut was telling me that this would be very important. I mentally told both of them to shut up.

Vandar was the first to speak. "Ah, so this is the other one you have told us of, Bastila?" **That little snitch, she** totally **ratted me out!** I glared at the Jedi princess, clenching my fist as a way to control my anger. "Yes, Master Vandar." she replied.

The little Yoda creature waved his hand in a gesture for me to come closer, and I obeyed. "You are Harmony Velo, correct?" I nodded my head. "I am Vandar. With me, are Master Vrook, Master Zhar, and Master Dorak."

I made a barely-there bow towards the Masters as a sign of respect. "Okay, little snitch," I turned to Bastila. "I'm here, now that you've ratted me out, what do you want with me?"

As calm and collected as anyone could be, she answered, "I did not 'rat you out', as you so blatantly put it." Zhar spoke next. "Bastila has told us about you." **Yeah, I'll bet!** As much as I wanted to voice those words, I held my tongue. "She has told us that you were on Taris, and that you attempted to aid their escape, am I correct?"

**Heck if I know this crap! I just woke up in a med bay with a wrap on my arm, not knowing where I was or how I got there!** "That's right."

"She has also told us that you are force sensitive."

My breathe hitched in my throat, my body completely frozen in place. A force sensitive? **How is that even possible?** I wasn't supposed to be here, both of my parents weren't force sensitive, so how was I one? "What?" was the only word I could muster at that moment.

Dorak stepped in. "Bastila said that she had seen you earlier on Taris, while she was being held captive. You displayed signs of force sensitivity."

I forced myself to speak. "But, as far as I know, none of my parents were force sensitive, so how could I be?!"

"The Force is not a matter of genes, Harmony," Vandar told me, "It is a matter of fate and destiny." I scoffed. "I don't believe in any of that stuff. It's never 'destiny', it's never 'fate', it's not even 'luck'. You know what it is? Chance; blind, stupid, simple, everyday _chance_!"

Bastila finally chimed into the conversation, much to my irritation, "What do you call the bond between Winter and I, then?"

"I still call it _chance_! For all you know, you could've had a bond with a Gizka, for all I care!" I heard Winter snicker slightly, and I allowed a small grin to spread on my face. "And you find that amusing?" She asked her. Winter coughed. "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, Bastila, none at all."

I looked to Vandar, hoping for more answers. "What does any of this have to do with me?"

"Despite your ages, the Council and I have decided to take both of you in for training. You are both very strong in the force, and with Revan dead and Bastila's bond to Winter, you could aid in the war against Malak."

Vrook looked nearly outraged. "Are you truly certain that Revan is dead? What if we do decide to train this one and the Dark Lord should return?" He was referring to Winter, as everyone else from my world would know. "Oh, I'm certain that with the job you did, Revan will not return..." I said mockingly.

The Council looked calm, but Bastila looked almost fearful. **Perhaps she thinks that I know something that I shouldn't; she's right!** "We should discuss this matter more fully in private, Master Vrook." Vandar suggested. "Bastila, take your companions back to your ship; we shall summon you when we are ready."

I left the council chamber with haste. This small consultation of theirs would grant me _plenty_ of time to think on what to do. I could stay, but deny their offer. I could stay and accept their offer.

Or I could run.


	4. Something Old, Something Changed

I had hoped that time would have gone by more slowly than what it did, so I could have had more time to think. I was originally planning to run off to who-knows-where, but dang-it-all-to-heck, that nosy Twi'lek just _had_ to catch me as I was getting off the ramp. She gave me the most cutest puppy-dog eyes that she could muster, (almost to the point where she was crying) and I reluctantly decided to stay. Time had flown too quickly, and before I knew it, I was back in the Council chambers with Winter and Bastila.

I was very irritable at the time, and if anyone said the wrong thing, I would surely have a rage-fit! If Bastila or Winter didn't notice my mood, good, but if they did notice my mood, they were smart enough not to bring it up.

Vandar spoke first. Despite my respect for the Jedi Master, his gravelly voice only sharpened my irritation. "The Council and I have agreed; we shall take you both in for training. The sooner, the better." I wanted to shout at them. **What the heck!? I thought I would have a say in this crap!** "Can I _please_ say something, here?" I asked as calmly as I could.

The little Yoda creature nodded his consent, and I breathed in deeply as to not lose my temper. "Listen, I know that your intentions are good, but I don't wish to be a Jedi." Everything froze as I finished my sentence. The silence that had filled the room was overly awkward, and the fact that everyone was staring at me as if I were some new animal species that escaped from the zoo, just made me feel smaller and more insignificant. Despite my anxiousness, I continued speaking.

"I have my reasons as well. The Jedi are reserved, controlled, valiant, loyal, and looked up to by many." I crossed my arms, and shrugged. "But, they Jedi are also primitive, restraining, stuck-up, and let's face it," I sneered at the Council. "they're just plain manipulative!"

Vrook was angry, his eyes narrowed at me and his left fist clenched tightly. "And what does that mean?"

"Oh," I glanced at Winter then back to him, "I think you know _perfectly_ well what it means." I gave him my most menacing glare, pausing to allow my words to sink in. Vrook almost caught on right away, his expression changing only slightly from anger to worry.

I let my arms rest at my sides. "Yeah, so thanks but no thanks." I then turned and left the chamber, ignoring the guilt I felt at the fact that I just imposed worry and distrust on another person. **They deserved it,** I told myself, **just don't look back.** And I didn't.

The walk back to the _Ebon Hawk_ felt like it was taking longer than usual, my feet feeling like lead. I had my hands in my pockets and my head hung over, my eyes looking to the ground. Not only was I feeling guilty, but I was also feeling disheartened because I gave up my childhood dream for some stupid sense of independence! I was everything that a Jedi was not; I was disobedient, rebellious, a bender of rules, in need of some serious anger management lessons, self-reliant, independent, disrespectful and just plain single-minded! I didn't want to have to follow a bunch of rules that kept me from being myself.

The only thing that kept me from turning back, from apologizing for my words and actions, was that I didn't want to be a manipulative witch. The Jedi _were_ manipulative, almost forcing their students to be completely void of emotions and avoid friendly or romantic relationships. They take children at the age of three because at that age, they have not yet gained their sense of independence, and they're completely open to different lifestyles. As the younglings get older, their independence will grow, but not out of control because they grew up with Jedi.

I shook my head. "You know what," I said to myself, " _screw them_!"

I wasn't paying any attention to the world around me, and that often had consequences. I had looked up but had no time to react, and I wound up running into the hydraulic pole that lifted the ramp to the _Ebon Hawk_. I (comically) fell backwards onto my rump, rubbing my forehead in an attempt to soothe the welt that was most likely starting to form.

"You should watch where you're going, kid."

My anger flared. "And you shouldn't poke a rabid dog with a stick, Canderous!" I growled at him. I picked myself up and dusted my pants off. "Because _this_ one has a nasty bite!"

I heard him chuckle. "Yeah? Well, I'll take my chances on that."

"Shut up." I mumbled. I walked up the ramp and almost shoved my way past him. I flopped face-down onto the benches in the main hold with my arm dangling over the edge, groaning loudly. I groaned louder when I heard Mission come into the room, her voice light and excited. "Hey, what'd they call you for? What happened with the Council? Where's Bastila and Winter?"

I reluctantly lifted myself up into a sitting position, rubbing my throbbing temples. "They wanted to train me to become a Jedi." I almost had to plug my ears at the sound of Mission's high voice.

"Oh my gosh, really?! That's awesome! So you're going to become a Jedi?"

"No, Mission. I denied their little 'offer'." I felt another pang of guilt as her face changed from to excitement to confusion. "Why?" I sighed heavily. **I hate life...** "Because I didn't want to be like them, Mission. The Jedi are basically manipulative con-artists in a nutshell."

"I could have easily told you that." Canderous remarked.

"Yeah, well coming from you, that's not very surprising." I replied sarcastically.

He furrowed his eyebrows in, what I could only guess, mock confusion. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

It was at that untimely moment that Carth had to walk into the main hold. "What's what supposed to mean?" I groaned loudly and face-palmed myself. "Of course now the fashion disaster chooses to walk in." I muttered under my breath. With almost everyone in the same room, I felt a little crowded and I knew that with Carth in the room I was just going to have more questions thrown at me, more than I could handle at the moment. I needed some fresh air, better yet, I needed a nice long walk in the middle of nowhere. I stood up and went to the dorms.

I grabbed my backpack and dug out my bow and arrows, slinging the quiver over my shoulder. I took my throwing knife and placed it into the home-made pocket inside my boot. "Use it only if you have to. It's a last resort." I told myself. I had pondered on taking my pocket knives, but decided against it; I had my bow as well as my throwing knife, I wouldn't need them. I walked to the exit, cringing as Carth asked, "Where are you going?"

"Everywhere but nowhere, so get off my damn case!" I replied.

I sighed heavily for what seemed like the hundredth time as Carth protested, "You should have someone else go with you, you're too young to be going off alone. You don't even have any armour on!" I turned around sharply and glared menacingly at the pilot, a sneer forming across my lips.

He was right about one thing, I didn't have any armour on. All I had was my brown, knee-high boots, my dark jeans and a black tank-top, but I still couldn't resist the urge to argue with the pilot. "Ain't nobody stopping _you_ from coming, and I'm not 'too young' for anything." I pointed a finger at him. "So, I'll say it again; get off my damn case, ya' prick!" Before he could protest again, I quickly turned around and bounded off the ship. "You don't even have a proper weapon, Harmony!" he called after me.

"I have my bow and knife!" I shouted back at him. I could hear footsteps, and I could tell that he was starting to follow me. "And you know how to use them?"

" _YES_!" I knew perfectly well how to use my throwing knife and bow, but truth be told, they were never used for killing things. I've never killed anything before, save for a few spiders and flies back home. **But I'm not home, anymore.** I reminded myself. Here, in this world, I would have to kill something eventually, or I would be the one getting killed; survival of the fittest, that's just how it worked now. I didn't like that. I had certain morals, and I made special promise because of those morals, to never kill another human (or alien in this case). I wouldn't kill animals, either, because I just didn't have the heart to.

Even if I didn't make those promises, I wouldn't have the guts to even _hurt_ someone, unless they gave me enough reason to. A simple slap or a small punch, but I wouldn't harm someone enough to draw blood or anything like that.

"Do you even know what's out there?"

"Kath Hounds, Iriaz, Mandalorians, and a crap-load of unsettled plains and hills." I replied bluntly.

"Kid, what if you get lost out there? As you said, there are a lot of hostile beasts. They could easily take out a girl like you." Canderous called out. **Great, now** he's **following me, too!**

I growled at the both of them. "You know what, instead of trying to make me stay on the ship, how's about you both swallow your pride and come with me!" I stopped and looked back at both Canderous and Carth. "Come on. I mean, seriously, you're both fully capable of handling yourselves, as am I with myself. We'll be fine if we stay together as a group, anyways."

Canderous looked as if he didn't care, but Carth still looked determined to keep me holed up on the ship. "You are not going anywhere, little missy!"

There is also two more things that people have to learn about me. One; I hated being called things like 'missy', 'kid', or even something as stupid as 'cute'. Call me anything I didn't like, I'd be haunting your nightmares!

Two; once I've made up my mind, there's no changing it! I'm stubborn, and if someone or something was trying to contradict what I wanted to do, I would put up a fight until either he gave up, a compromise was somehow reached, or I was forced to give up. That's just my nature.

This was no different. I turned on my heel and walked away from the two men. "Just watch me, ya' geezer!"

I didn't hear any footsteps behind me so I had assumed that they gave up and decided to leave me be, that is, until I reached the door leading to the courtyard. I could easily tell just by how heavy the footsteps sounded who it was. The occasional Mando'a curses also gave it away pretty well, too. "I thought that Carth would've been straight behind you?"

"Nah, he just turned back to the ship, muttering something about you 'not being his problem'."

The door opened, (the droid who was there in the game, wasn't there, so I let myself out) and I walked through them. "I think I can live with his decision." I replied sarcastically.

When we both stepped outside, I took a moment to look at the scenery before me. Everything just looked so _real_ ; the grass, the sun, the high ridges, everything. The people even looked a little more on the realistic side, instead of having overly-generic faces like in the game. It was beautiful, to say the very least.

"Are you going to keep standing there like a stunned Iriaz, or are we actually leaving?" I was startled out of my reverie by Canderous' gruff voice.

I quickly nodded. "Yeah, sorry."

As I continued to move in the direction of the plains, I started to think about all of the things that were to happen on Dantooine, and the outcomes of things if I were to stay with the crew of the _Ebon Hawk_ or not. If I was to stay, I would change a lot of things, which, depending on the nature of things, would be very bad. If I was to leave, everything would play out normally and it would be as if I didn't even exist.

But that was just it, I _shouldn't_ exist! I was not meant to be in this world, period! It was just some freak chance that I wound up here! I thought back to how I got into KotOR, and to before I even woke up in the _Ebon Hawk_. I was just going to get some food, and then I randomly passed out. Before I was completely unconscious, I distinctly remember hearing someone speak to me.

_Keep the peace. Maintain the Balance._

**What the heck was that supposed to mean, anyways? Or was that just my wacked up imagination?** I asked myself, mentally. I just decided to ignore it, but make a note of it for later cases.

"Are we actually going anywhere, or are we just going to wander around aimlessly?"

I shrugged. "Considering I don't know where anything is, yeah, we're gonna walk around aimlessly until we actually find something."

"Sounds promising." Sarcasm was very evident in his voice, and I could have been wrong, but there was also a hint of irritation. I took that as an opportunity to make him go back to the ship. "If you're _that_ annoyed with me you can head back and pretend you didn't see me, you know."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because."

"'Because' why?"

"Shut up and walk."

I grinned amusingly. **He's just like my brother, Justin.** I wanted to see how far I could go before he completely lost his temper. "How's about you make me shut up and see what happens then, eh?"

He cursed silently under his breath, something along the lines of 'damned kid' or 'fucking hell'. Either way, I knew it was probably vulgar. He didn't bother with a response, so I decided to leave it there.

Our walk took us deep into the plains, deeper than I knew we should have went. I would stop occasionally to either take a break, or climb on top of a high ridge to get a better look of our surroundings, (Or just to try a certain Mandalorian's patience.) It brought me peace, in a sense. It reminded me of my home in the country, when I would walk around the farm and occasionally in the bush so I could 'find myself'. It was getting lost without getting lost, it was being alone without feeling lonesome, it was running away without leaving home, it was just simply getting away from everything. Despite the fact that I had a grizzly old Mandalorian following me around like a bodyguard, this was no different.

It also helped me, being raised as a country girl. It raised my awareness of the natural world, and simply gave me my adventurous personality. It allowed me to appreciate nature at it's best and even at it's worst, and I would never take it for granted.

That is, until nature bites me in the ass.

Canderous and I were just beginning to head back to the Enclave when a piercing howl echoed through the plains, causing me to jump in surprise. "What was that?" **It can't be wolves or coyotes, they don't exist here!**

Canderous activated his rifle, ready to shoot at anything that appeared hostile. "Kath Hounds."

I took my bow out of the quiver, (yes, it shares a spot in the quiver with my arrows because it can fold up.) and placed an arrow gingerly on the rest. Even though I knew I wasn't actually going to hurt anything, I still had to look like I knew what I was doing. Shifting my hand on the grip slightly, I started to think about things I knew of Kath Hounds.

**Dog-like creatures. Here they're tainted by Juhani, so they're twice as vicious than if they weren't tainted.** The first hound rounded the corner of the ridge, growling savagely. **They primarily bite, shred, and mutilate their enemies, no mauling because they don't have paws.** Several more followed shortly after, and I felt my palms become severely sweaty. **They have only one significant weakness...**

It was cowardly, I knew, but it was better than facing a pack of a dozen or more hounds. Sometimes, running away from the battle was better than running into it. "Canderous, forget the hounds, follow me!"

"What are you doing?!"

I ran as fast as my legs could carry me to the nearest, highest ridge. " _Just trust me_!" I yelled back at him.

I waited for him to follow. I knew he would because he was Mandalorian, he knew the difference between bravery and stupidity, and this was stupid. It wasn't until the hounds were practically on top of him that he ran. "You better have something planned in that brain of yours, kid!" He yelled at me.

When he reached the ridge, I nodded and tossed my bow and quiver on top of it. "Trust me, I do. Now, bend your knee and give me a boost!" He (surprisingly enough) listened and bent his knee slightly, allowing me to rest my foot on it. I pushed myself up, clawing at the edge of the ridge to find some sort of purchase to help me. Canderous snatched at my feet, shoving me the rest of the way, which caused me to land on my face.

I turned and went on my hands and knees, looking over to see that the hounds were closing in very quickly. "You next!" I said, offering him my hand.  
He looked almost distrusting. "You're not going to lift me, kid!"

"I've lifted things heavier than your fat ass, so get up here!" I shouted in panic, my voice cracking near the end.

I sighed in relief as he slung his rifle over his shoulder. He placed one foot on the ridge then grabbed my arm. I lifted him as best as I could, but good lord he was heavy, and it wasn't fat, either! I knew my hands and arms were starting to give out, so I waited until his upper body was up, I re-positioned my feet so my heels were digging into the grass, and straightened my back. After taking a deep breath I moved my back in a sharp angle, pulling him the rest of the way up.

Seeing he was out of the reach of the kath hounds, I let go of him and fell flat on my back. "Told you, ya' cocky Mandalorian!" I muttered under my breath. "Kath hounds can't climb, that's their only main weakness."

I shifted my head to look at Canderous, who was sitting on the grass. He didn't appear to be too exhausted, but he was most likely going through an adrenaline rush. He nodded at my comment. "Not bad, kid."

As I lay there panting heavily, I distinctly recalled another thing about kath hounds; if they lost their prey, they would stay in the spot they saw it last for several hours before giving up.

I groaned, nearly growled, loudly and rolled onto my stomach. "I hate life!"

"What now?"

I groaned again. "The hounds won't leave us for several hours," I moved my face so I could actually breath, as well as so Canderous could hear me better. "so we're gonna have to get comfortable."

He didn't say anything, he only shrugged as if to say _'that's not my problem.'_. I moved my arms and attempted to lift myself up, but a sharp pain erupted through my shoulder. I gasped at the sudden pain, grasping my shoulder. **And that's on my good arm!** I thought bitterly. Canderous took note of my reaction. "What's wrong?" He asked, sounding as concerned as any Mandalorian could get.

I shifted onto my good/bad arm (the one that I had apparently injured during the escape from Taris), using it to help lift me up into a sitting position. "I think I might've pulled a muscle in my shoulder when I lifted you up, I dunno."

He shifted to where I was sitting. "Let me see." I reluctantly pulled my hand away, wincing at the pain from the shift in pressure. He gently moved my tank top strap and bra strap from my shoulder. He then placed his whole hand onto it, and he moved my shoulder backwards. It was enough to make me want to scream.

Instead I smacked his hand away. "That hurts! Don't do that!" I practically scolded him. He ignored me and put pressure on my shoulder again, making me wince. "I said 'stop'!"

Canderous squeezed my shoulder rather forcefully, and I hissed. "Quit squirming and be quiet!" He ordered. I could only nod. He continued to prod and push at my shoulder until I nearly shoved him away to make him stop. "It hurts, knock it off!"

He backed off. Then, as if it was the most casual thing in the world, he said, "You popped your shoulder out of it's socket. Must've happened when you pulled me up. However, it can't stay like that." The comment didn't register at first, but then it completely dawned on me. **He intends to pop it back in!**

I had seen it happen on tv shows and movies and it looked painful enough, but I never had seen an actual person have a popped shoulder put back in place. And I never intended to be that person. "No! That's going to hurt like heck, I'm not allowing you to touch me!" Stupid. He was at least 3 feet taller than me, and he had about eight times my strength, he'd easily take me down!

He simply shrugged. "Alright, then."

Before I could react, he lunged forward and pinned me to the ground nearly knocking the breath out of me. For a big guy, he was fast! I tried to struggle out of his grip, but his legs were straddling me, thus I couldn't really move. Seeing that I couldn't escape, I tensed up, waiting for a sharp pain to hit me. It never came.

I then realized why he wasn't popping my shoulder back in just yet. I had watched on tv and movies that people use a trick of saying that they'll count to three and then pop it back in, but when they say 'one' they pop it in. They trick people like that because tensing up when replacing a dislocated joint, was extremely bad for you. So, (rather reluctantly, mind you!) I loosened up, closed my eyes, and tried to imagine myself sitting on my cozy little couch at home, playing my video games while eating macaroni and cheese with milk and marshmallows. **I miss my milk with marshmallows...**

Canderous probably saw me relaxed, and took the opportunity to pop my shoulder back in.

Now, normally, I had a somewhat low 'pain tolerance' as it's called, so I expected myself to black out, at the very least scream from the pain of my shoulder being popped back in. Contrary to that fact, it didn't hurt _as badly_ as I had thought it would. It only felt as if someone had just punched my shoulder _really_ hard.

Then I remembered; Zabraks had an anatomy that almost completely differed from a human's. A Zabrak often didn't have hair, they had two hearts, and had an extremely high pain tolerance because of said hearts. The more pain they received, the less likely they would feel the majority of that pain. **Cool!**

Canderous released his hold on me and sat up, rolling my shoulder to test it. **Still hurts a little, but it'll have to do.** "You're welcome." I heard Canderous mutter.

I rolled my eyes at him. Now that everything was back in order, I started to worry about the kath hounds again. It was mid-afternoon when we had left the Enclave, I suspected that it would get dark within a couple of hours, and we didn't have that kind of time on our hands. "What're we going to to about the hounds?" I asked Canderous, hoping he had some sort of idea as what to do.

"Since you're the 'escape artist' here, I thought you'd have a plan about now."

"Well, considering I had a dislocated shoulder being popped back in by a three-hundred pound Mandalorian who was crushing me under his weight, it'd be hard for anyone to hatch a plan." I replied sarcastically.

Again, he didn't bother with a response. I stood up and dusted myself off, looking around the plains for anything that could possibly help us out of our predicament, but there was nothing of the sort. Curious, I checked over the edge of the ridge to see if they were gone or not. About five of the hounds had parked themselves right beside the ridge while the rest were wandering nearby. "Do you have a communicator, or com-link or something with you?" He shook his head. **Well, crap, there goes that idea.**

I started to talk to myself. When someone else wouldn't be of any help to me, or I was alone, I would often talk to myself when thinking really hard on things. "We could run, but I'm not a good runner. And the hounds could easily gain on us or trap us if we make a wrong turn." I immediately scratched out that idea. "Or, we could try and thin their numbers while up here."

"What are you saying?" He sounded a little irritated when he asked me that.

"Shut up, I'm trying to think!" I snapped at him. I continued where I left off.

"But if we make that much noise, we could attract more and then we'd run out of ammunition." I started to pace, anxiously. "Or, we could try to take them by surprise or sneak past." I turned to Canderous. "You're the war veteran, here! What do you think is best, depleting numbers under cover, risking several more to hear the noises and find the source? Or, wait until the enemy is relaxed and unexpectant and try to sneak past them, but risk being noticed and overthrown by their numbers?"

He answered confidently. "No contest; the second. It's always best to take the enemy out by surprise or escape when the heat has died down."

I sighed, but nodded in agreement. "Alright, I guess we'll have to wait a bit longer."

And we did. For nearly an hour, in fact. By then, the majority of the hounds were asleep, or lying in the long grass sunning themselves. We had to be quiet, however, when climbing off the ridge because kath hounds had a good sense of hearing. Make too loud a noise, and we'd be screwed over.

With every small crunch of the grass, the urge to walk around on my tip-toes became stronger. I was overly self-aware whenever I was trying to be quiet. That's why, when I started hearing a noise that sounded like growling or rumbling behind me, I snapped my head back and placed a finger roughly to my lips as a way to say _'shut up!'_. Canderous raised his arms slightly, _'seriously, it's not me.'_. He wasn't lying, either.

I looked further into the distance, and I saw the cause of the noise. A vehicle, a speeder, was driving in our general direction. "Give me a flipping break, already!" I said aloud. I already knew that we were both practically doomed because of the speeder, but that didn't stop me from breaking out into a sprint. Canderous followed suite. He was much faster than me by a long shot, but he decided to run just beside me.

The speeder was becoming louder, and the hounds had started to be roused from their naps. "Who would be driving a damn speeder at this hour?!" I asked no one in particular.

"Who would be _walking_ at this hour?"

"Shut up, Canderous!"

The noise was almost deafening, now. I risked a look behind us. The speeder was literally just on our tails. "Out of the way!" I yelled at Canderous.

He might've heard me, but I wasn't taking any risks. I made a sharp turn and body-checked Canderous, moving him out of the path of the speeder. I nearly screamed as I felt the speeder just skimmed the lower portion of my back. Any closer, and I would've been either with a broken back and ribs, or completely decapitated.

My hearts were beating frantically, missing a few beats every so often and I was shaking horribly, the experience having probably scarred me for life. I jumped as a hand rested on my shoulder. "Kid, we need to keep moving." **What, why?** I had nearly forgotten, the kath hounds were now fully awake, and moving in towards the only things that were in their sight.

Us.

Canderous readied his blaster, and I felt as if my stomach was trying to tie into knots. The whole reason I avoided the hounds was because I didn't want to have to kill anything. "You might want to get your weapons ready, we've got a lot of hounds to kill." I cringed at the word 'kill'.

Swallowing hard, I whipped out my bow with a _snap_. I grabbed an arrow from it's quiver, placing it on the rest and pulling the string back. My torso turned off to the side, my legs spread apart about thirty centimeters, my hand holding the grip tightly and my elbow bent only slightly, and only two fingers holding the string back, I had the natural stance of an archer. The only problem was that I was still in the middle of my panic attack, and my shoulder. I was still shaking considerably, and my shoulder still hurt from being popped back into place, so it was a major hindrance to my holding back of the string. Both would most definitely effect my aim, but I had to live with it.

"Here they come."

I nodded, not responding. The kath hounds didn't run at us, they simply stalked, as if they were hunting. They seemed to be taunting us, provoking us into making the first move. I heard a noise off to my left, startling me.

A kath hound had sneezed.

However, I didn't realize that until _after_ I had released an arrow. The arrow missed it's mark by a small fraction, just grazing the flesh, but it was enough to start a riot.

The kath hound I had fired at lunged at me, it's mouth gaping wide in an attempt to bite me. Red streaks flew past me, and the hound yelped in pain before it landed past me, dead. Canderous had shot it.

It gave me just enough time to ready another arrow. I pulled back and fired again, shooting a hound straight through it's eye. The other hounds had already started their attack on us, biting and nipping at whatever stuck out of place, be it an arm or leg. Canderous had no troubles in shooting the hounds, as his rifle kept them at bay. My bow and arrows weren't so efficient.

Another hound lunged at me again, and I dropped to my knees. As it flew over me, I arched my back, pulling at the string of my bow and releasing it smoothly. The arrow shot through the beast right to the fletchings. I tried my best to ignore the blood that poured from the wound. **Kill or be killed. Survival of the fittest.** I repeatedly told myself.

When I stretched back into a normal kneeling position, I readied another arrow. There were hounds in the distance, but not close enough to hurt me so I left a mental note of their distance and would return to them later. I twisted around to look behind me. A hound was running straight for me. I pulled and released, another corpse to add to the pile.

Every arrow fired, every arrow that hit it's target, every yelp of pain, it just made me feel more and more guilty. They were only protecting their territory, and the influence of the Dark Side was upon them, and I couldn't blame them for their hostility. But I still released the string with every beast that came near.

I was down to my last arrow, Canderous was already preoccupied with two kath hounds that were too close to him, and there was one final kath hound that was running towards me. I pulled the string back, ready to fire the arrow when the time came. **Just wait, just wait... Now!** I released the arrow.

It flew straight past it's head. **Too soon.** The arrow had not fazed the beast, and it continued its path towards me. I dropped my bow and fumbled at my belt that held up my jeans. I had left my pocket knives back on the ship.

It was now only twenty metres ahead of me, and charging still. I panicked, not knowing what to do. I had no other weapons. I looked back at Canderous who was still occupied with the hounds, one of them having pounced on him. I couldn't help him from where I was standing, and I had other problems on my hands. I looked back at the charging hound. **Fifteen metres.** I then remembered that I _did_ have one final weapon; a last resort, one I swore I would never use on another life. I had to do it.

**Ten metres.**

I kneeled down and fumbled with my boot, struggling with the blade that was hidden inside it.

**Five metres!**

I finally got the knife out of it's holding place, turning it in my hand so the blade was pointing down. I then stood and finally looked in front of me. The hound was right on top of me. It surged forward into the air, snarling menacingly. I closed my eyes and swung my arm rapidly.

I had expected a heavy weight on top of me, but nothing had pushed me down. I had expected a sharp pain in my throat as the beast clamped it's jaws down, but none such thing came. I opened my eyes slowly.

The hound lay dead at my feet, blood pouring from the wound in it's throat. I looked at my knife. Both it and my hand were covered in the blood of the beast. **Eww!** I tossed the blade and shook my hand, as if it would help get the blood off.

I should have been disgusted, guilty, disturbed by what I did. I shouldn't be feeling pride. But I _was_ proud, proud of myself. **I just defended myself. Wow, I actually** protected **myself against these things! If only my family could've seen that!** _  
_

"You did well, kid." Canderous praised me.

I nodded. "I guess I did." I looked at my hand, still covered in blood. "I've never killed anything, before..."

"You haven't? That's a surprise." I glared at him, thinking he was being sarcastic. His face said otherwise, he actually looked generally surprised at my comment. I shrugged. "Yeah, I've never actually had the guts to kill something before."

He grunted.

I started to gather my arrows, wiping them off in the grass before placing them back in their quiver. I then grabbed my bow, folding it back up and into the quiver as well. The blade was last to be picked up. I paused, almost as if to ponder picking up the knife or not. **Pretend you dropped it in a bucket of paint, for god's sake!** I grabbed it, wiping it off in the grass and placing it in my boot.

Our journey back to the Enclave was slow, at best. It gave me time to think. Would this event haunt me? Probably. But like most memories, it'll just crawl into the back of my mind. It could take a few months, but it'll fade away, like any bad dream does. Right?

I had killed for the first time in my life. I thought it only made me braver, stronger, smarter than I ever was. I never realized it then, but it did _more_ than just that. It changed my life, it changed me, shaped me into something new, something different.

It changed me into something _darker_.


	5. Unexpected Realities

I was exhausted, almost to the point where I couldn't walk anymore. When we had gotten back to the ship, Carth saw the state I was in and _demanded_ to know what had happened. Canderous had said it was nothing, and Carth pointed out that I was partially covered in blood and dirt.

I had let the two headstrong men argue, seeing that I'd never get a chance to interrupt them and I had taken an extra long shower to wash the dirt and blood off. I didn't know where Mission was, but I was grateful that she wasn't there.

I was laying in my bunk after that, not knowing what to do. Chances were that Carth wouldn't let me out of his sight for the next few weeks, resulting in me not getting off the ship. I sighed heavily, turning onto my stomach and dangling my arm over the edge of the bunk. **I need something to do!** I then quickly sat up. "My iPod..." I muttered.

I had doubted severely that the battery would be fully charged, but I didn't care at the time. I snatched my back-pack and rooted through it until I found my iPod. I turned it on, and looked at the battery. **It's still full?** Not only was the battery full, I still had a wi-fi signal! **I can text someone!** I had decided to text one of my friends rather than my siblings, thinking that my sister or brother wouldn't bother with a response. I searched through my contacts and stopped at a name; Danny Nelson.

He was my best friend since the first day of high school; he was actually the first person I met and had a decent conversation with. He and I were completely inseparable! I tapped his name and started to type rapidly.

_Katherine: Hey, Dan! U there, bro?_

After a few minutes,

_Danny: Yeah. What's up? U up for minecraft today?_

_Katherine: No, cuz I have sumthing REAAALLY cool 2 tell u!_

_Danny: Since when don't u have something cool 2 tell me?_

_Katherine: Shut up! LOL You'll NEVER guess what happened 2 me 2-day!_

Another long pause. I had thought he had lost a connection until he replied with,

_Danny: Did you finally get COD: Ghosts?_

I laughed aloud.

_Katherine: NOPE! (But I was trying to work on it) Even better! I'm in Star Wars!_

He didn't reply for several minutes. **Probably his crappy wifi.** I shrugged helplessly and put my iPod in the front pocket of my jeans. **He'll probably think I'm joking... or he'll be sarcastic about it.**

I lied back down on the bunk, sighing heavily. I thought about texting my other friends, but not a lot of them were gaming geeks and the ones who were had never played the _Star Wars_ games, they wouldn't understand my excitement or understand what I was talking about. "It seems we're the only ones who completely understand each other."

"'Understand each other' about what?" Canderous asked.

I sat up slowly, getting riled over the fact that I was being disturbed. "None of your bees-guts! Now, unless there's something you need, leave." I replied bluntly through clenched teeth.

The Mandalorian just shrugged, crossing his arms. "Just came in to check-."

I interrupted him quickly. "Nothing is wrong, it wasn't disturbing, and I won't be haunted in my nightmares." I pointed to the hallway. "Now, _out_."

Despite my obvious aggravation, he didn't listen to me. Instead he moved from the doorway and into the room. He continued his sentence, "to check on your shoulder, kid."

I stared at him blankly. **Well done, you idiot!** "My arm is fine. Sore, but fine." I answered quietly. He still didn't leave the room. I raised my arms in a 'seriously?!' motion. "What do you want from me, mate?!"

"I know for a fact when someone says 'Nothing is wrong', they're trying to cover something up." He approached me, stopping when he reached my bunk. "I also know for a fact that you're not fine."

"How would you know?"

"I'm a war veteran, remember? I've seen my share of deaths. I've seen the looks on the faces of soldiers when they make their first kill." He sat on the bunk, staring at me with a serious look. I shrunk back. "You're point?"

"You've had that same look ever since we started walking back to the _Hawk_. Beaten, tired, angry, afraid." He shook his head, almost disapprovingly. "You weren't lying when you said you haven't killed."

"No, I wasn't."

He chuckled. "I'd have thought that you did. Back on Taris, you were the most spiteful kid I had ever seen!"

I flinched as if I had been slapped. "Wait, _Taris_?" **I wasn't even on Taris to begin with! I just woke up on the ship!** Well, I _had_ woken up on the ship, but there's no telling if I was somewhere before. Canderous nodded. "Yeah, Taris. Don't you remember anything about Taris?" I shook my head, and he shrugged. "Well, I can't really blame you; between getting hit on the head with a metal beam and losing _that much_ blood, you'd expect some memory loss."

"'Hit on the head'?"

He sighed. "Yeah, you stopped Calo from tossing the detonator at us. You granted us time to get out of lethal range from him. Metal support beams came crashing onto both you and Calo because the Sith were bombing the planet. Why you did it, I wouldn't know. How you even got into Davik's estate is an even bigger mystery!"

I pretended to remember by nodding my head. "Why didn't you leave me behind?" I sat back against my pillow, expecting, _hoping_ for a whole story to come from that question. "Because that wasn't the first time you had helped."

"The first time you had helped was the first time I had seen you. I was in the lower city, making my usual rounds," His eyes almost glazed over, staring ahead as he began to tell his story, his _memory_. "when I was ambushed by some thugs. There wasn't much, a few Twi'lek low-lifes, but they had taken me by surprise. I was shot, forcing me to hide behind a crashed swoop."

"They were a relentless bunch, never giving me a chance to fire back. Mere minutes after taking cover, I hear a shout, and the fire had ceased. I dared to take a glance over the swoop, ready to fire if needed. When I looked over, I saw one of the Twi'leks was on the ground, screaming as if he were a trapped Mynock. An arrow was protruding from his shoulder. The other three were arguing, wondering who had fired. I was about to open fire, when suddenly, another arrow had flown through the air, hitting a Twi-lek right through his leg, rendering him immobile, and in no time another arrow had been shot, hitting another on his hand.

"Driven by fear, the last Twi'lek began to run, leaving his comrades behind." He nodded to me. "That's when you showed up. You were hiding on the metal ceiling, your legs wrapped around a pole. You quickly jumped from your spot, placing an arrow on your bow. Then, without even a pause to aim, you fired straight at the retreating Twi'lek. By what I thought was pure luck, the arrow had imbedded itself straight into his heel, causing him to stumble and fall."

He paused for a few seconds, making me feel uneasy. "What happened next?"

He shrugged. "Nothing of great importance. You warned them to not come back, as it was 'your territory', and then left without so much as a glance over your shoulder."

**That was sort of anti-climatic...** "Wow... I honestly have no recollection of these events..."

"That hit to your head did more damage than I thought..." I heard him mutter. "That wasn't the only time you had made yourself known on Taris," he continued. "I would be continuously hearing about this 'Zabrak bitch' that would always be meddling with the exchange; ruining bounties, destroying illegal drug imports, you even raided several outposts in the Lower City. I heard you would often take whatever you found into the Undercity, but nobody knew for sure."

**That's what I'd do... only if I had a reason to...** "So, I was hypothetically a rebellious tyrant, eh?"

He nodded and chuckled. "That you were. It, however, got you into trouble one day."

I leaned back to the point where I was almost laying down. **This man loves to tell his stories...** I thought amusingly. "Since when did it _not_ get me into trouble?" I asked sarcastically. "Never." I finished.

"That is also true." He agreed.

"So, how did I manage to get into trouble?"

"It happened just before the bombing on Taris; I had only just met Winter and her companions in the Lower City Cantina." He continued, "The minute they had left, you came in. You had come in for a few rounds of Pazaak, a game that you were good at."

I nearly glared at him. "So, wait, you were basically creeping me? Honestly, what kind of a man watches a young girl every time he sees her?!"

"You never noticed, and I never followed you. That's not 'creeping' as you put it; it was simply observing. Anyways, after nearly an hour Davik's newly hired mercenary, Calo Nord, had came into the Cantina. I suppose he was looking for a bounty, or a debt to be repaid. Either way, he was collecting something one way or another. It just so happened that the man he was looking for was the Cyborg you were playing against.

"You both looked to him as he approached, talking to you in inaudible undertones. The Cyborg looked as if he were ready to pass out, but you just glared at Calo, not backing down from him. You were afraid, I could tell, but you never showed it. Calo began to lose his patience, his voice becoming louder and more threatening. You then stood up, challenging him. I nearly laughed; he was a good two or three heads taller than you, and you had to stretch your neck a fair bit to look him in the eyes."

I laughed. "What can I say? I like challenges, even if they seem bigger than me!"

He nodded. "Well, you're going to have to learn to back down from some things; the challenge you had made for yourself nearly got you killed! Calo was not easy to intimidate, especially if you're a little girl! He never flinched as you shouted at him, cursing at him in your Zabrak language. Your friend was even telling you to back down, but you shook him off. Calo had almost enough with you and he started counting down, threatening you. You must have known what happened when Calo began to count, as I saw you slide a knife from the sleeve of your jacket. Your friend tried to get you to leave, but you wouldn't move!"

**Good gravy: I had more guts than I do now! And less brains...**

"When Calo reached the end of his countdown, he grabbed his own blade, punching your head and then stabbing into your side. The Cyborg tried to help, but Calo held him back by placing the blade against his throat. You then tripped him, straddling him and threatening to kill him if he didn't back down. He quickly rolled over, kicking you off him. You crashed into another table, putting you into a daze. Calo took the opportunity, grabbing you by your throat and strangling you. I had had enough, and I told Calo to stop; "A simple debt was not worth the trouble that they're causing you. Not to mention Davik's reputation if you kill the kid.". If he had killed you, people would think Davik had gone insane, giving the Sith enough reason to arrest him.

"He surprisingly backed off, but told me it was on my head."

"Well, why the hell didn't anyone in the Cantina call the authorities or some-shit?!"

"Because happenings like these were common in the Lower City," he answered. "Besides, nobody wanted to face an exchange mercenary."

I nodded. "I guess that makes sense. So, what happened next? Did Calo collect his bounty, did I attack _you_ , or what?" As much as Canderous was getting suspicious of my 'memory loss', I still enjoyed hearing him tell stories.

Before he could answer, I heard a ringtone on my iPod go off, making me jump.

_Now here we stand with their blood on our hands_   
_We fought so hard now can we understand_

I realized that it was Danny's ringtone. **Why is he calling me?**

_I'll break the seal of this curse if I possibly can_   
_For freedom of every man_

I quickly dug my iPod from my pocket, trying to answer. The song continued into the chorus, and I realized it wasn't in my pocket. "Sorry, give me a second, Canderous." I then dove into my pack, thinking it dropped in there. I threw everything out, thinking it fell to the bottom. "Here it is!" I activated it, and pressed the 'answer' button. "Dan, what is it?"

I was only met with loud static, making my ear ring. "Good GRAVY, that hurts!" I shouted. I quickly turned it off, holding my ear. "Something wrong?" Canderous asked. "Just some damn technical difficulties..."

I then texted him.

_Katherine: Dan, WTF was that for?! You almost made me deaf!_

He replied almost immediately.

_Danny: You gotta believe me when I say this; I'm not home!_

_Katherine: Calm the hell down, what do you mean?_

_Danny: I'm in a metallic room! It has containers!_

I shook my head, thinking he was high on his 'Monster' again.

_Katherine: U on a sugar-high, bro?_

_Danny: Katherine! I'm srs! I remember trying to reply to your texts, and then I passed out and woke up here!_

This made my hearts stop and a shiver crawl down my spine. **That's what happened to me...** I placed my iPod back into my pocket, dashing for the only room with 'containers' "Harmony?"

I ignored him. I was a woman on a mission, as my mom would say. **How did he get here?!** "Harmony, what's wrong?" Canderous asked, following me. "One simple mistake..."

I reached the storage room, entering and looking around. Huddled in the corner, I saw a pale figure. My iPod went off again.

_Danny: And I see someone!_

I wanted to laugh, but at the same time I wanted to slap him upside-the-head. Instead, I gave the 'figure' my 'seriously?' stare, and replied to Danny.

_Katherine: That's me, ya' stupid prick! I'm the Zabrak!_

The pale figure stood, almost cautiously. "Katherine?" It asked.

"'Katherine'?" Canderous echoed.

I turned and put up my hand. "Just, leave a second, would you?" He shrugged, leaving without any urging.

When Canderous was out of ear-shot, I exhaled. "Danny? How the hell did you get here?" I asked him, dropping my accent.

"Katherine? Since when did you have horns? And _long hair_ for that matter?!" He stepped from out of his corner, into some light.

Danny didn't look like, well, _Danny_! He wasn't even a full human! No, he was part-machine. "Since when did you become a robot? Honestly, and when was the last time you got a good tan?"

He looked confused. "What?" I shook my head, getting the camera on my iPod. "Here, smarty-pants." I flipped the screen over to him, and his eyes widened as he saw himself. " _Jesus_! I look like a Cyborg..." He touched the cybernetic implants that protruded from above his eyebrow. "Kinda like the one I made for my game..."

"Uh-huh, you got that right!" I turned my iPod off, putting it back in my pocket. "So, you know where you are?" He shook his head. "No clue..."

" _Ebon Hawk_ , Dantooine, big guy was Canderous. Any of this ring a bell?" His eyes widened.

"Yeah, that was almost my reaction when I woke up here, too. Were you playing KotOR when I texted you?"

"No, I was playing 'The Old Republic'..."

That didn't make any sense. I made a mental note of that. "Well, in any case, just to give you the details, we're on Dantooine. We arrived here a few hours ago..."

I told him everything, who Revan was, what had happened before he got there, how I had gotten here, and about my 'past' on Taris. He took it a little bit better than I had anticipated, but it was better than freaking out. "Oh, and also," I added. "everyone here on the ship knows me by another name; Harmony Velo, and my accent is Australian. Don't call me 'Katherine' or 'Kathy', or it might raise suspicions."

He nodded. "Fine, but I ain't changing anything!"

"Ok, now, let's _both_ go to the Main Hold, so I can explain."

He followed me, looking around the ship with amazement. "Oy, Canderous?" I called to him. "This is my buddy, Danny; he was the one I was going against in Pazaak, and he also stowed away on the ship here."

He walked towards us, sizing up Danny. "Yeah, I recognize him." He held out a hand, "Canderous of Ordo." Danny nodded, but not shaking his hand. I nearly face-palmed myself. **So much for trying to be inconspicuous...** "In any case, if Carth ever finds out, just tell him he's with me, same with Mission and the rest. 'Kay?" He nodded.

"Who the hell is this?!"

I winced. "Nevermind..." I turned to Carth, glaring at him. "Danny, a friend of mine. He's with me, so get off my case." I bluntly replied. I knew Carth already didn't trust me, but now that I have someone with me, it would only make him less trusting and more cautious if he thought I was up to something. "So, there's two of you? Since when?"

Canderous butted in. "Quit attacking the kid, would you? If you think she's that bad, kick her off." He left the hold, calling over his shoulder. "Good luck trying to explain it to Winter!"

Carth's lips tightened, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. His eyes were wide, but his eyebrows were arched and his forehead wasn't furrowed from it. **Contempt, anger, and most definitely an intention to kill if needed** **!** He approached us, his expression not faltering. "No funny business, from _either_ of you!"

I shrugged, crossing my arms and smirking at him. "No need to worry about that; I'm sarcastic, I have no taste for humour."

"Speak for yourself, then!" Danny spoke. "I'm always funny!"

I caught on to his jab. We always have these little 'fights' when we talk, but they're always in good taste. "Well, fuck you, then! I don't even know you!"

I giggled while he laughed. Carth sighed and left for the cock-pit. Our contained laughter soon subsided and seriousness entered the atmosphere. "So, what now?"

"I don't know, Dan. I mean, like, I had left the ship earlier, but that didn't end well. You don't have a weapon, so you can't leave the courtyard... And Winter is going to be trained for months..."

"So get some booze and a disco!" He laughed heartily.

I sighed and then face-palmed myself. **I'll either miraculously survive but without my sanity, or I'll die of boredom...**


	6. Power of the Mind

It was so simple, and yet so hard! Easy to make a few swipes of the tool, or stroke or jab, but it was hard to prevent making a mess of things. It took careful planning, lots of pre-meditation, to do this; that's how messes are prevented. That's how you leave no trace of things, how you make it seem so easy to do, like you knew what you were doing.

But I didn't. I didn't make any plans, I didn't pre-meditate what I was going to do; I had left a mess, a trace, lines that let people know what I did. That's why I was just sitting there, my hands covered in scum, just staring at a blank page.

Good lord, why was I so picky when trying to draw?!

I had been trying to draw... Something. I didn't know what, but it was something! I had been staring at a blank page for god-knows-how-long, a blank page covered in messy, faded lines and dark smudges from the pencil that had rubbed onto my hand.

I didn't think about what I would draw, I had no inspiration either. So, the results were a messy, blank page.

**That's what this all is, a blank page, isn't it?** I began to tap the end of my pencil on my sketchbook. **It used to be pre-meditated, it used to be planned out. The art piece had barely begun before another element had been thought of, been** added **, and now it's completely changed.** My tapping had become more rapid, my head bobbing to the beat. My sub-consciousness knew what I was doing, but my consciousness was completely dead to the world. **Well, it still has a plan, I know what it will turn into, but because of this new element those plans could have new lines to be made, either changing the old lines or branching off them to make new lines.**

**This piece of art will be the same as it would have been, but all of those new lines that will be drawn into it, will make it completely different at the same time.** My hand tapped against the book, creating a new beat. **I know what will happen, but at the same time I don't. I broke the lines of the original, destroyed the path of the plot. I created new possibilities. That can make things better... Or worse.**

"Harmony?"

**That's probably what that meant! '** Keep the Peace. Maintain the Balance. **'. Maybe I** am **Harmony! Maybe I am supposed to keep the peace of the galaxy, to maintain the balance of good and evil.**

"Harmony..."

**If Winter was to follow the path of the dark side, the hope of the galaxy will surely be lost... And the Exile! He... Or she, will follow Revan, and if that happens...**

"Harmony!"

I jumped, startled by the loud voice. I looked over to Dan, who seemed almost irritated. "What? What'd I do?"

He sighed. "Zoning out again..." A statement, not a question. "C'mon, what'd I do?"

He looked back to his phone. "Never mind."

I nearly growled. "You know I don't like it when my questions aren't answered..."

That's how things went for the next week; get up, get dressed, eat, and get back to my drawing. Very few words were spoken between crew members, and questions were never answered. That page remained blank, void of any lines.

It wasn't until the end of that week that that blank page had finally started receiving those new, old lines.

I was being driven insane! Everything was so... Dead, void of any life or activity. It was also quiet, the hum of the hyperdrive being the only thing that prevented total silence. Everyone else considered this to be soothing and relaxing, but me; it was like someone grinding their nails on a chalkboard!

I severely hated the lack of activity, I desperately needed something to do! But, to my misfortune, there wasn't a single town for miles and both Carth and Canderous made sure that I didn't leave the enclave on my own, and I couldn't leave without an 'adult' around. (Whatever the equivalent of an 'adult' was to them.)

It annoyed me to no end! I had originally thought that, since I was away from home, I would also be away from the paranoia of my family. I was dead wrong! Carth had more paranoia than my parents and six older siblings _combined_!

That's why I disobeyed.

Normally, if it were my family, I would listen and do as I was told. (Not _silently_ , mind you!) But Carth wasn't my father _or_ my brother; he couldn't tell me what to do!

It was during the evening that I had left the ship. I wasn't going to leave the enclave, I was just going to walk around. Besides, it's dangerous just to be wandering in the dark alone!

I slowly stepped off the ramp, telling myself, "Just a short walk, then head straight back."

_'What is the point in opening a cage door when you won't walk through it?'_

I quickly looked behind me, thinking Mission had caught me again. No one was there, and I shrugged. "Meh."

The enclave was empty for the most part, aside from the droids that wandered around. I had to be careful though, because if there was any Jedi wandering around, I'd be screwed!

With every step I took, I could feel my paranoia beginning to settle in my head... Or perhaps it was my conscience? Either way, I was becoming more worried about getting caught. I felt like I was one of those teenagers you see in the movies or on tv; she would crawl out her bedroom window and sneak out to the party. But the girl would _always_ get caught!

' _Because they all make that same mistake; they all leave that window open, they all leave a trace._ '

That voice, again! This time I looked all around me, thinking that someone had been following me. I had realized that I was in the Council Chambers, and that made me nervous. If I felt like I was being followed, but I was in a large space, I felt like things could come out of nowhere and without warning. "Whoever you are," I called out. "you don't need to hide!"

"I am not hiding, young one."

I nearly yelp as I heard a voice behind me. I whip around and reflexively reach for my pocket knife, which I had forgotten back on the ship.

"You do not need a weapon, I will not harm you."

That voice... wasn't the one I was hearing. The voice I heard was feminine, silky, almost menacing. This voice I thought I recognized; deep, masculine, gravelly but at the same time smooth. Calm, collective, and almost melancholy.

"Master Zhar?" I call out again.

It was almost pitch black, save for the dim light of the moon. My eyes fall upon a tall figure. "Yes, you are not wrong."

**I need more light, this is ridiculous!**

As if he had read my thoughts, Zhar said, "Perhaps we should move to a lighter space if you do not favour the dark?"

I simply nodded and followed him. He lead me to the chamber, I recognized, where he trained Revan in the game. "Might I ask why you are out so late?"

I replied sarcastically, "I could be asking the same thing."

"I have been waiting for one of the Padawans to return. She was to return early this evening."

I shrugged and crossed my arms. "Ok, that's a good reason..." He answered my question so I felt it was only fair to answer his.

"I just hate being in that stuffy ship all the time. I came out for a walk." I then quickly added, "I was going to head straight back!"

He smiled slightly. "You have nothing to fear, I will not, as you say, 'rat out on you'."

I hesitated at his uncharacteristic use of language and started analyzing what he had said. **He, and almost all other Jedi masters, never use improper language. Perhaps he is just temporarily accommodating his speech to that of mine, trying to calm me down...**

I took that, for some reason, as a cue to leave. "Well, I should probably head back..."

"Before you do, I wish to speak to you about something."

' _Do not listen! He will try to make you a Jedi!_ ' **That damn voice again! What is it with me this evening?** "It'll depend on what you want to talk about..." I said cautiously.

"It is about your Force sensitivity." He replied. I just stared at him. "I told you and the other Masters; I do not wish to be a Jedi!" I growled.

He shook his head. "You did, and I do not intend to train you to be as such. I only wish to talk."

**Feet still spread at the usual distance, arms to his sides. His eyes don't shift from mine; he's telling the truth.** "Alright." I submissively sigh.

He hesitates, shifting his feet almost unnoticeably. "Your name, Harmony; you understand what it means?"

I nearly rolled my eyes at the Jedi Master. "When two things are a whole: unity, balance-"

"No, I wish to know if you _understand_ the meaning, not if you _know_ the definition."

I pause, his question now flying completely over my head. "I don't understand what you're asking..."

I barely noticed the small drop of his shoulders. "Then allow me to explain."

I hopped onto the workbench and crossed my legs - one on top of the other - and rested my arms on my legs. "Your tone just suggests that I might want to sit..." I explained when I noticed the funny look he gave me.

"That might be a good idea." He agreed.

He paused for a few minutes, his posture stiff and his eyes were somewhat shifty. I started calling off things in my head.

Ai **to** Vr. Ai **to** Vc, **back to** Ai. **He is internally struggling, wanting to tell me, he wants to tell me what he has seen or experienced, but he doesn't want to tell me something about it... Something that could affect me to an extent. But what?**

"'Harmony', is not your name, is it?"

I flinched as if I were slapped. "What?" **Does he know something?**

He took a short breath, and continued. "'Harmony' is not your name, you are not from here. You... Belong to some other world, another... Dimension. You chose this name, not because you desired to, but because you were told to."

I was about to protest on his last statement, but quickly shut my mouth. "I did feel like the name Harmony wasn't my doing, like it was forced out of me... But I never had someone tell me to say that name." I quietly replied.

"Indeed. You were not verbally told, but rather spiritually." Zhar said. "You did not hear Them then, but you can hear Them now."

I cocked my head. "Who's 'Them'?"

His eyes widen slightly and his mouth presses to a thin, grim line. **He had said too much...** I noted.

"You heard someone, yes, before you had called out?" He asked me. I nodded.

"That voice... Was one of Them; Malice."

I stayed silent, allowing him to speak further. "Malice is a dark spirit, and It has invaded your soul." He said bluntly. "But there is also another spirit; Grace, a light spirit."

"These two spirits, I have encountered before. In a Padawan I had trained years ago. He was like you; never wishing to follow light or darkness, he wished to be his own person. He was lacking in control of the Force, and Malice fed on that.

"As time progressed, Malice had driven this Padawan nearly insane, invading his mind when he was weak, and forcing him to do... Unspeakable things. The Council had no other choice but to kill the Padawan, to stop Malice's onslaught."

I felt my heart sink as he told me this, realization dawning on me. "You're saying these... Spirits, They are in my soul now?"

The Jedi nodded grimly. "Yes, They are."

"But how do you know all of this? That I am not from this place, about my name or these spirits?" I demanded.

"A tremor in the Force. I had felt it... When you arrived. When Malice spoke to you, I could feel Its' power."

I shook my head, wishing this were all a dream. "Why me? Why did They choose me, what use am I?"

Zhar sighed heavily. "Only Malice chose you. Grace cannot enter a soul unless Malice does. Grace is there to keep the balance within the host Malice chooses. The reason It chose you is because... You, are special."

"Uh, you lost me; how am I 'special'?"

"You know about Revan, you know things that everyone does not. You are in control of everything, and Malice wishes to use that to Its' advantage. It wishes for the galaxy to be in disarray, in chaos. Revan has the power to do that, but you are the guide to her path."

I shook my head again. "No, she can control her own path! What do you mean I'm the guide?!"

"She has control of her path, yes." He confirmed. "But you must guide her. You have to lead her and help her through whatever hardships and challenges she will face, because you know what she will have to face."

I stayed silent. It was the only thing I could do, because I was at a total loss for words. **Well, my suspicions are confirmed, at least...** I thought grimly.

After several moments, I finally asked, "Why do you tell me this, now? And why do I feel as if I will be hearing something I _don't_ want to hear?"

Zhar, I could tell, had suppressed a sigh. "I am telling you this, because you have to understand that you must be trained in the ways of the Force. If you are not properly trained, you could be overtaken by Malice."

I nearly protested but stopped as I pondered on his words. **'In the ways of the Force.' Not the ways of the Jedi.**

' _But he might try to make you a Jedi! Do you want that?_ '

**Jedi do not lie!** I argued with myself.

' _But they lied to Winter. Correction, they_ deceived Revan _._ '

"Ok." I quickly said. "I am training in the ways of the Force, but _not_ in the ways of the Jedi."

Zhar nodded. "Good. We shall begin the first lesson tomorrow evening."

"Wait, why not during the day?"

"The Council cannot know of this." He bluntly stated. "I had told them about only training you in the ways of the Force, but they had considered you too... dangerous."

"And you knew I'd be more dangerous if I couldn't control the Force." I finished for him.

He nodded but stayed silent.

I felt that there was more than what he was telling me, but I was too tired to think about it. I stretched out my limbs and slid off the workbench. "Ok. I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Indeed."

The walk back to the _Hawk_ wasn't as eventful as my walk from it, but I most certainly had some things to think about.

How did Malice and Grace know about me? I didn't even exist in this world, let alone existed at all! But They are spirits... And usually spirits know things that sentient beings did not...

I was far too tired to care. I shrugged off those thoughts and created a mental note for tomorrow.

Tomorrow, things would finally change. For better or worse, would remain to be seen.

/ / /

I turned over on my bunk, lying on my side. I opened my eyes slowly, the lights making me wince. As my mind cleared, I remembered the events that had taken place the previous night and I chuckled. I turned again and as I did, I distinctly felt the edge of my bunk.

Wait a second... The edge of the bunk...

I didn't register it quickly enough, and I suddenly fell off the bunk, landing on the cold, steel floor. I groaned painfully, turning onto my back.

"That bunk was higher than I thought..."

I heard sniggering and I snapped my head to my left and saw Mission, sitting upright on her bunk. She had a hand covering her mouth and her shoulders shook with controlled laughter.

I moaned again and sat up. "Shut up..." That was the only thing I said to anyone for the rest of the day.

Nobody had suspected me of anything, (their silence and lack of questions of my whereabouts was proof enough of that), and everything went as it usually did. Wake up, change, eat, and get back to drawing.

This time, I finally knew what I wanted to draw. My hand grabbed the pencil, they way a dancer would grab his partner, and together they danced their intricate dance across the surface. Every move my hand made, the pencil would always follow straight behind it. It was like I was the instructor and my pencil and hand the students, leaving notes, marks, to remember what to do next time. Some dancing steps had to be redone, erased, because they went in the wrong direction or they had danced far too excessively.

**This dance,** I thought, needs no music. **This form of dancing has its' own style, and the beauty decimates the need for a song.** I began to hum a small tune as I was drawing, not caring if anyone heard me. **If someone arrives, the dancing partners will often stop and cover their trail, not wanting to ruin the excitement of the final part of their beautiful dance.**

**It is more often that their final product will not turn out as perfectly as they had imagined, but they learn to be satisfied with their work. I cannot overwork my students because I might ruin the dance I have created, and I cannot simply abandon the dance I have made and consider it done, for it could make me ambitious and a very poor teacher.**

I had a rather hyperactive mind, but it helped me to work. If people were minding their own business, they never bothered me. But if people saw me drawing, they would leave me alone thinking that I shouldn't be bothered.

I always had this intense look about me whenever I was drawing. My eyes would almost never blink, and not a single muscle in my body would clinch or shift, making me appear stiff and rigid. The only loose limb on my body was my hand. I would, as people said, look like I 'was defusing a bomb'. And I guess that's what kept people from bothering me.

I had been drawing for the whole morning and then slept during the afternoon. It wasn't until late evening, when everyone else was asleep, that I had finally woken up.

I had to be rather quiet when sneaking from the ship, because if anyone saw me (namely Bastila, Carth or Canderous), I would be in trouble.

The worst part was I hadn't told Dan or Mission about what happened. I didn't really want to, either, because at least one of them would let something slip at some point and I couldn't risk that.

I had dressed back into my jeans and tank-top, but had left my boots off. Usually when I try to sneak, I have a habit of curling or spreading my toes; 'feeling the earth' as I called it. It helped me stabilize myself, to keep me from stumbling. It also gave me a 'light-foot' and made me about twice as quiet than if I were wearing shoes or boots.

The second I had stepped off the ship, I bolted for the council chambers. I had learned that if you ran on the balls of your feet, you would be lighter on your feet which made you run faster. It used up a majority of your energy, but it was efficient. I had also learned that running on the balls of your feet was quieter than running 'heel-to-toe'.

In less than a minute, I had finally reached the chambers. As expected, Zhar was there. However, he wasn't dressed in his usual skin-tight blue Jedi robes. He was in a creme-white tunic that had an earth-brown undershirt. His pants were a mahogany-red and were made of the same material as his tunic. I noticed he had no foot-wear, either.

He chuckled as I ran in, completely sapped of hot breath and energy. "You needn't to run, Harmony. You are not late."

He allowed me to capture my breath before speaking. "Before we begin, I must ask you; are you certain of your decision?"

I answered without hesitation. "If what you say is true, about Malice, then I do not wish to be a risk of danger to anyone. I want to be trained to control the Force."

"Then your training begins now." He stated. "In order to learn to control the Force, you must first learn how to harness it; centre it within yourself. That can be attained through meditation."

**Oh. That explains the clothing...** "Ok. Is there a special thing I have to do, or...?" I trailed off.

"No, there is not."

I shrugged and sat on the floor, crossing my legs and placing my palms on my knees. "So I just sit?"

"There is a little more effort than just sitting." Zhar began his lecture. "You must first learn to feel the Force flowing through you in order to grasp it, although not physically."

"So, that's why you close your eyes? You have to try and focus on the Force in order to 'grasp' it?" I asked him.

He nodded. "Yes, that is the basic explanation for it. But you must not concentrate so hard that the Force is your only train of thought, and you cannot concentrate so little that your mind wanders."

I then closed my eyes, trying to 'focus', trying to 'feel' the Force. Nothing. "I don't feel anything." I stated, opening one eye.

Zhar shook his head at me. "You are not focusing. Even though you must focus on harnessing the Force, you must remember that you have to _feel_ the Force, not think."

I closed my eyes again. **Ok. Focus on the Force. Feel the Force... How can one feel it? It is only a spiritual or supernatural thing, so feeling is impossible...**

"You are now focusing too hard." Zhar I interrupted my thoughts, and one eye opened again in a questioning manner. "You mustn't _think_ , Harmony, on the Force. _Feel_ it flowing through you, like you feel the blood in your veins."

I closed my eye again, breathing in slowly. **'The blood in my veins'. So the Force almost literally flows through me, is apart of me.** As I was thinking, my breathing became more even and timed. **That is how one can control the Force, like one can control their body movements or the words they speak. You can control the Force by thought, but must use it through feeling. So, is it the heart that you use or your brain?**

That's when I felt it, the Force. It was like a small river; feeling a small trickle of it flowing. It startled me at first, jerking me out of my meditative trance. I snapped my head to Zhar, who had a small smile on his face. " _That_ is how you are able to feel the Force."

I nodded slowly. "But how do I 'centre' it?" I asked.

Zhar shook his head. "Another lesson for another time. For now, just continue to feel the Force." He then sat down beside me and closed his eyes.

We meditated for what felt like hours. I was so lost in my thoughts of the Force, I nearly felt I was drowning in it! Zhar was shaking my shoulder, calling my name. But to me it only felt like a small poke and barely a whisper at my ear. I slowly opened my eyes, and nearly screamed at what I saw.

The chairs that were originally placed behind us were floating in the air, rotating ever so slowly. It wasn't until I was completely out of my meditative reverie that they all completely dropped.

I stared up at Zhar who only had a face of complete calm and passiveness. "That is enough for today."

I nodded and slowly stood, taking a deep and slow breath in. I stretched out my limbs and headed back to the ship.

I never truly understood, that from that moment on, I had been introduced to a completely new world.

I actually never considered the _possibilities_ of possibilities when I tapped into my Force abilities. But what I did think about was how I would use my Force abilities when I learned to control them.

Correction: I _feared_ how I would use them.

When I entered the ship, I peered around cautiously to make sure that nobody was already awake. I then snuck to my bunk and curled into the sheets, pulling them right up to my neck. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, being pulled into a deep sleep.


	7. Nightmares in Reality

_I shivered as I felt a draft, curling up in a ball to try and keep warm._ _ **Where the hell are the sheets?**_ _I grope around, but I found nothing but cold, hard stone._

_**Wait, stone?** _

_I bolt up, my eyes darting around to see where I was. I wasn't on the_ Hawk _, this I knew immediately. I was in a large room, it was cold and dark, almost to the point where I couldn't see my own hand._

_"Hello?" I called out._

_My voice echoed. I sat up and stretched. "Hello?" I tried again. Nothing but my own voice replied._ _ **Where am I?**_ _I wondered to myself._

'I think the question should be, 'Who am I?'.'

_That voice... I looked around viciously, hoping to find the person who spoke. "Who are you?"_

_Nothing. Just emptiness. "Whoever you are, show yourself!" Again, nothing._ _**This feels real, but has no reality. I know where I am but I am in another place, another time, another** _ _world_ _**. This all has to be a dream, then.** _

'A dream, this most certainly is not.'

_That voice again!_

'Well, you consider it a dream, but in reality, it's always your subconsciousness.'

_I paused for a few moments, contemplating this. The voice, I realized, was the same one I was hearing before training with Zhar._ _**Malice.** _

'Yes?'

_It responded. Not to my words, but my thoughts._ _**Where am I?** _

'A placeless place; a place you know far too well, but you don't know at all; a place where you have always seen, but never seen with your own eyes; a place that you have been to, but never been with your own body.'

_**Cut it out! I want a direct answer!** _ _I growled as I thought this._

'I thought you were smart? Perhaps I have underestimated your skills...'

_**What 'skills'?** _

'Your skills of deduction, your skills of prediction, observation, interpretation, and examination.'

_I ignored It. I walked around the room, searching for a way out. I put my hands out in front of me to avoid running into things._

'If you're such an expert on things, why don't you figure out where you are? So you know where to go?'

_"Shut up!" I shouted aloud, clenching my fists in irritation._

'That's your flaw, isn't it? Unless you know even the smallest bit about something, you can't figure out anything; where to go, what to do, how to escape...'

_**GET OUT OF MY HEAD!** _ _I clenched my hair in my hands, snarling in frustration._

'I am afraid that is not possible.' _I could practically hear It smiling at that statement._

_I was becoming angry, I needed a way out! I rushed around the room, looking for a door or passage that would lead to somewhere other than where I was._

'You feel it? That chill crawling up your spine, the fear invading your mind? You don't like it, do you.' _That last one; a statement. Malice knew too much..._

_No, I didn't like it. Not one bit._

_I had travelled around the whole room nearly twice before realization dawned on me. There was no way out of this room, no doors, no windows, nothing but cold stone._

_**No, no! I need a way out; there's always a way out! How did I get in, then?!** _

_I dropped to my knees and wrapped my arms around myself, trying to prevent the panic attack that was slowly settling in my body._ 'Unable to do anything, you have no control. You are completely trapped...'

_I felt my limbs go completely still, my breathing stopped and my trembling hands clenched to fists. Everything had stopped, frozen in time. The only thing that could be heard was the heavy, rapid pounding of my hearts._

_I felt it, then, that sensation crawling up my body. It slowly edged from the tips of my toes and up my legs, almost like the way a spider would stalk to its trapped prey on the web, watching as its prey squirms and tries to wiggle free. Everything then started moving, my hands moving from my sides to my head, clenching and clawing at my hair. My breathing became hoarse and heavy, and my body started to shake almost uncontrollably._

_**I need a way out, I must have a way out! I need to get away!** _

_I cried out in anguish. My hands no longer clawed through my hair, but now through the ground. My nails scraped against the moist rock, loose dirt gathering under them. I felt my nails chipping and cracking, I felt the sting of dirt and grit rub into the wounds that my desperate digging had made, but I didn't care. I needed to get out!_

_That sensation continued to crawl up my body, having now reached up past my spine._

'You hate being out of control, when things are just out of your reach. You hate being trapped, being secluded. You hate feeling angry...'

_I felt something brush at my shoulder, and I turned and lashed out with my hand, flexing my fingers the way a feral cat would flex their claws. I growled and cried out again, my hand hitting nothing but air._

'You _hate_ it when people don't listen, when they can't hear you. You _hate_ not knowing things, you _hate_ it when you have no guidance or assistance when you need it, you _hate_ it when you're afraid, when you can't find solace or comfort. It drives you insane...'

_Another brush at my shoulder. I stood, swinging and slashing at the air, desperate to be rid of whoever was touching me. "Leave me ALONE!"_

"That will never be possible..."

_I lashed around, growling like a feral beast. I paused when my eyes fell upon a person._

_Clad completely in black, from head-to-toe. Her hair was also black, falling over her face in stringy and greasy strands. Long, devilish horns protruded from her skull, decorating her head the way a crown would, the tips sharp and almost jagged. Her skin, pale, almost like a ghost. You could barely see purple and blue veins spreading along the length of her arms. Her hands were equally pale and vein-filled, and her nails came to long, sharp-pointed tips. Her right hand held a blade, a blade, I noticed, that was covered in dark red blood._

'Oh, Harmony...' _Malice mocked me, practically spitting my name._

_The person in front of me lifted her head. Her pale, vein-covered face was splattered in blood. Her eyes opened, one eye was a fiery orange and the other a demonic blood-red, and they glowed evilly. My blood ran completely cold as her face came completely into my view._

_This girl, was me._

_She tilted her head and an evil smile spread on her lips. Her eyes - even though they glowed - were dead, void of light or life. They stared so intently, as if looking into my very soul._ "Insanity... Is bliss."

_Her face contorted from and expression of vacancy to pure, cold-blooded rage. Her evil smile turned to a villainous sneer. She let out an animalistic howl and leapt at me, knocking me down onto the ground._

_My head hit the stones with a sickening crunch, and I could feel blood oozing from the spot where my head had landed. My sight became blurry and disorientating._

_She was now on top of me, her arms poised above her with the knife in her hands, ready to strike. I could barely hear her as she said,_ "It's so easy to turn against yourself..."

_She brought the knife down with a cry, imbedding the blade into my chest. She twisted it slightly, smiling at my cry of pain._

_As my life drained out of me, pooling around my body in the form of a crimson sea, she leaned closer to my face so our noses would touch._

" _Death_... is pure bliss..."

"HARMONY! WAKE UP!"

I woke with a cry, bolting upright in my bunk. I struggled ferociously as I felt hands restraining my arms, kicking my legs and twisting my body in an attempt to escape.

"Harmony! It's Canderous! Stop struggling, just calm down!"

Canderous... That name played over and over in my head before I finally went still, my arms going limp.

I blinked out what felt like tears, clearing up my vision. Canderous was sitting in front of me, his face contorted in concern and... Fear?

I looked around, I discovered that I was back in the dorms on the _Ebon Hawk_. I also discovered that Canderous wasn't the only one there; Carth, Mission, Danny, Zalbaar, T3, Winter and even Bastila were all there.

I shook Canderous' hands off me. "What happened?!" He demanded.

I trembled as I remembered the dream, remembered the girl I saw... What Malice had said...

"Just, leave her alone and back off, man!" Another voice, Danny.

A growl, and then Canderous stood from the bunk.

"A dream..." Was all I could mutter.

"'A dream' my ass! You were screaming!" Carth snapped at me.

I shrunk back slightly and brought my knees up to my chest, wrapping my arms around my legs. "Sorry if I woke you up..." I mumbled out an apology.

I didn't say anything after, I _couldn't_ say anything. I was still... In shock, I guess. Everyone soon filed out of the room, everyone except for Danny.

He checked to make sure that everyone had rounded the corner before sitting next to me on my bunk. "Katherine, what happened?"

I said nothing.

He tried again. "You were, like, twisting and twitching around a lot... And when you woke up, your eyes were... Creepy, to say the least." He pointed to me. "And they still are, y'know..."

I shook my head. "Just a stupid nightmare, okay."

"But you told me you _never_ got nightmares, anymore..."

I sneered and snapped at him, glaring menacingly. "I've been without my dream catcher for a while, ok!?"

He flinched and backed off, standing from the bunk slowly. "You saw something and it was something that..." He paused, thinking his next words over. "Scared you. I don't like it, but I won't force you to tell me, either."

With that, he left me. I just continued to sit on my bunk, staring at the wall as if I could see through it.

As if someone had flipped a switch, I suddenly darted off my bunk and snatched my sketchbook and pencil. I flipped to a random page and started to rapidly draw, not wishing to forget Her.

I _couldn't_ forget Her.

/ / /

I was sitting on my bunk, my arms crossed over my chest. Everyone else had fallen asleep, whereas I was wide awake. T3 never questioned my staying-awake, only asking me if I was alright. He was cautious about asking, however, with almost hesitant little beeps and whirs. I had smiled at him to reassure him.

Everyone else on the ship practically avoided me for the rest of the day, probably thinking I was on a hair trigger, or something. Not that I minded; I needed some time to think about things, anyways.

Like; why did that girl look like me? What did Her words mean? And was that dream really a dream; or a vision?

**This... Malice, seems like It really wants me to know that It's there. I guess talking to me in my head wasn't good enough...**

That made me shudder. If talking just in my head wasn't good enough for It, then what if It got bored with haunting my nightmares?

**That's why Zhar is training you, to prevent Malice from controlling you.** I sharply reminded myself.

Which also reminded me; I was going to be late if I didn't hurry.

I snapped up from my bunk, running out of the room without checking to see if everyone _was_ asleep. I left my boots again, remembering that Zhar was just teaching me meditation again today. As long as we weren't going outside, I wouldn't need them.

Just like the previous night, I ran for the Council chambers. Zhar, like the previous night, was waiting. He was wearing the same clothes as the previous night. **Don't these guys ever change their clothes?**

"Sorry," I apologized. "I lost track of time... Again."

He smiled assuringly. "And again, there is not an exact time in which you need to be here."

I nodded. "So, what are we learning today, well, _tonight_?"

"Tonight, we shall be learning how to centre our feel of the Force."

"Like, trying to grasp our control of it?" I asked.

He nodded, a small smile on his face. "Yes, like that. But first, we must feel the Force before we begin this lesson."

I complied, dropping to the floor and crossing my legs. I steadied my breathing, and began to 'feel' the Force.

There was actually almost no way to describe it, the Force. It felt like a calm, quiet river, flowing through my very body and soul. But at the same time, it felt like a raging fire, burning with more intensity than the sun, wanting to escape so it had more to burn, so it could flourish.

It soothed me and yet it burned me, it calmed me and yet it made me restless. It was almost frustrating, but I had no anger.

It was harmony.

We meditated for what felt like an eternity, not that I minded. When Zhar stood, and I opened my eyes, I saw the chairs floating around again, but they fell back to the ground as I lost my focus. I stood up and looked to the Jedi Master, who had his usual passive face.

" _This_ is why you must learn to centre your use of the Force. When you meditate, the Force flows freely because you have not properly learned to control it." Zhar said to me.

He suddenly left the room, telling me to wait where I was. He came back with what looked like a small book.

He placed the book on the ground in front of me. "Now the lesson can begin."

He gestured to the book. "Can you attempt to lift that?"

"Physically?"

He shook his head. "No, with the Force."

I briefly thought back to when I played _Star Wars_ on the Kinect. I remembered Yoda saying something about imagining that I am moving the rock (or whatever I was lifting), to feel the object, to feel its material on my hands.

I raised my hand towards the book in a 'Force command' gesture (like what you see geeks doing at a comic-con). I tried concentrating on the book, imagining that I was 'lifting' the book.

I stood there for almost five minutes and the book had not even flinched. I sighed, my arm flopping back to my side. "I feel stupid..." I muttered.

"You have the correct idea," Zhar told me, "but you have the wrong technique. There is a reason, Harmony, that we meditated before we began this lesson."

**'There is a reason'...** I took a deep breath and raised my hand again, closing my eyes. I tried feeling the Force again, focusing on it but not too much.

I stood there for barely two minutes (I think) before I felt the Force again. I immediately then switched my mental focus on the book, forming an image of it in my head. **Ok, imagine lifting the book... Focus, feel,** feel **yourself lifting the book... The Force is your hand... Imagine the book, the leather material, soft but rough...**

I dared to open my eyes, looking down at the small book. It hadn't moved an inch.

I didn't close my eyes, thinking I had to see the object in order to move it.

I stared at that stupid book for what felt like hours before I groaned in defeat. "Ok, the book wins!" I flailed my arm at it in a frustrated motion.

The book suddenly lifted nearly two feet off the ground. Reflexively, I reached out and caught the book in my hands.

I looked at the book, to Zhar, then back to the book. "So I just had to move my arm, like I was actually lifting it?"

Zhar nodded. "Yes. Most students cannot move an object without gestures on their first try, or their second for that matter." He gestured his head to the book. "This you had to learn on your own."

I was confused; I saw in a lot of Star Wars TV shows, movies, games and books that Jedi always moved their hands or arms in the motion that they want to move an object. "So, when Padawans are properly trained and for a certain period of time, they can move objects with the Force without hand gestures?"

Zhar nodded. "Yes. It can take almost years to perfect this ability."

"Oh." I looked back to the book and placed it back on the ground. I took a short breath before lifting my hand again, focusing entirely on the Force.

Once I felt it again, I made a mental image; my hand, grabbing and lifting the book. I raised my arm slightly and the book raised with it.

But by bit I raised my arm slowly, the book floating higher off the ground.

It felt... Almost calming, for lack of a better word. Using the Force, was calming, like it was when I would draw or paint. When I would work on my art, my hand would just glide over the paper or canvas, my imagination flowing freely, but I would still keep that imagination under control.

I was so lost in my thoughts and emotions, I barely heard Zhar calling out.

"Harmony, enough."

I was startled out of my thoughts, and the book suddenly dropped. I barely was able to catch it before it hit the floor.

"What?! Did I do something wrong?" I asked.

"No, you did nothing wrong." He answered. "I had said that you should stop before you exhaust yourself. I suppose that you hadn't heard me the first time."

I shook my head. "Guess not. Ok, question; how can someone exhaust themselves just by using the Force?"

"As you have learned, using the Force requires a lot of concentration." Zhar explained to me. "The Force also requires a lot of energy. I have had many Padawans pass out from using the Force excessively."

"So, it drains both your mental and physical energy?"

I noticed a brief and small smile on his lips. "You are learning quickly; yes, it drains both. That is why we usually train children at such a young age, because they have so much of that energy. As they grow up learning to use the Force, their bodies and minds become adjusted to the strain."

I cocked my head in confusion. "Children are usually trained at the age of three or four; I thought it was because if they are any older than that, they would be filled with too much anger and fear?"

"That is only part of the reason they are trained at that age."

"Oh."

Zhar walked up to me and held out his hand. I have him the book. "That is enough for today." He said.

I nodded. "Ok. So, again tomorrow?"

"Yes. We shall continue exploring this lesson before we move on to more advanced techniques."

"Alright." I turned on my heel. "I'll see you tomorrow, then!"

"Indeed."

I put my hands in my jean pockets and hung my head, deep in thought. **So, I guess that the Jedi aren't as... Manipulative as I had thought...**

' _You're such a fool..._ '

I ignored that voice.

' _Don't you see? You are being manipulated, letting a Jedi Master train you! You're being used!_ '

**Shut. Up.**

Malice was becoming a little more ambitious with me. I didn't like it...

I quietly entered the ship, looking around to make sure that nobody was 'patrolling' or getting a late-night snack. It really wouldn't do me any good if I were to be caught.

I crawled into my bunk and curled into a ball, wrapping the sheets around me.

/ / /

I didn't have any nightmares, so I decided that Malice had already found me to be boring. I also didn't fall out of the bunk, something that I had a bad habit of doing.

The only thing I _did_ do was sleep in. A lot.

It was already noon when I woke up, and everyone on the ship was or already had eaten lunch.

I walked into the garage, hoping it would be empty. I paused as I noticed a certain Mandalorian and Cyborg already in the room, sitting on containers and eating what I could only assume was fruit. "Look who decided to wake up." Canderous said, a smirk playing on his face.

"Didn't you sleep at all last night?" Danny asked me.

I shrugged. "Generally. Kinda' hard to with Canderous snoring so loud!"

No comment came from him but Danny just bust up laughing.

I was about to leave the room until Danny gestured to a container in the corner of the room. "Sit with us!" He spoke through a mouthful of food. I sighed and grabbed the edge of the cylindrical container, placing it so I would be sitting across from both Danny and Canderous, and sat almost meticulously on it.

"Why do I feel as if my arse is going to break the lid open?"

Danny snorted and Canderous chuckled. "Well, if the one I'm sitting on hasn't broken, I'm pretty sure that it can hold your weight."

"You're cheating, because yours is made of metal." I replied sarcastically, taking a bite of my food. "I'm pretty sure that if it were of a different material, your fat ass would have destroyed it on impact."

Danny, who was taking a drink of water, suddenly snorted and keeled over, his laughter filling the room. I snorted and laughed while Canderous chuckled. "D-did that just come out of your _nose_?" I gasped out.

"Ugh, don't make me laugh while I'm eating!"

Canderous suddenly started to laugh, too. "I think that insult was completely worth it."

Danny placed himself back onto the container, wiping his nose with the sleeve of his shirt. "Ugh, now that tastes like puke in the back of my throat."

That just made me laugh harder.

It took us several minutes to calm down. By then, my ribs were sore and tears were pouring from my eyes. "Talk about 'gross', eh?"

Danny chuckled. "Shut up."

I sighed and took another bite of my food. This food I was eating, tasted almost sweet. Slightly tangy, but also sugary... Like marshmallows.

"Oy, Canderous? What kind of food is this?" I asked him, lifting a chunk of food on my fork.

He gestured to my food with his fork. "That is Kowakian leech nut."

"Kowakian... Like a Kowakian monkey-lizard?" I asked him.

"Sort of. It comes from the trees that Kowakians take residence in, which is why the word 'Kowakian' is part of the name."

Danny swallowed his food (which I assume he didn't properly chew). "What about the 'leech' part? Where we come from," he gestured between him and I, "a leech is a worm that clings onto your flesh and sucks you dry of your blood."

"Correction; only ten times its weight in blood, which is about a quarter of a pint."

Canderous chuckled. "It's called a leech nut because it was known for having worms inside it. When villagers would eat the nut that had those worms, they would literally suck the life out of you by eating your insides."

I stared at the fruit on my fork, gingerly placing it back on my plate. For some reason I had a very strong urge to poke it...

I lifted another chunk of food, sniffing it before taking a small bite of it. It tasted sweet, juicy, but not in a fruity way. Almost like juicy chicken. "This?"

"That's Bull Katarn meat."

"Like from Kashyyyk? I didn't know they were edible..."

Canderous shrugged. "Not very many people do."

I poked at a golden-yellow fruit. "And this."

"Banana."

Danny bust up laughing again, grabbing at his ribs. I stared at the banana. "Oh..."

"I can't believe you didn't know it was banana, for god's sake! Banana is your favourite food, isn't it?"

I stabbed a piece and shoved it at his face. "Where we are, even _you_ wouldn't have thought of it, ya' prick!"

That just made him laugh harder. I yanked the chunk of banana off my fork and whipped it at him. It hit the side of his face, splattering on impact.

He wiped it off, still laughing. Thinking it would somehow tick me off, he licked at the banana on his fingers and swallowed. I watched his face for a reaction.

His face turned from amusement to utter disgust. His face scrunched up and his lips puckered slightly, almost like he just ate rancid oatmeal. I laughed at him, Canderous chuckling along with me.

He covered his mouth and spit the fruit back on his plate. "God, that was gross! How do you even _like_ bananas?!"

I shrugged, shoving a forkful in my mouth. "I just do."

"I hate you." Danny said, chuckling as he did.

Canderous snorted. "So, you guys are supposed to be _friends_?"

"Yeah." We both responded in unison.

"Back on Taris, you'd think that you guys were each other's living hell."

Danny and I looked to each other, and he mouthed, 'Taris?'. I shrugged, gesturing my fork back to Canderous to tell him to pay attention. "Oh, really?" I asked.

Canderous placed his empty plate on the floor and leaned forward, resting his hands on his arms. **Leaning forward signals engagement or intention; We triggered a memory.** I thought to myself.

"Yeah, you two would always be cursing at each other or insulting each other while playing Pazaak; you two were very frequent visitors to Javiar's Cantina, so everyone knew that your cursing matches were really just friendly banter."

I held up a hand. "Wait, when you say 'frequent visitors', do you mean 'drinking visitors' or just 'hang out and play Pazaak' visitors?"

"'Just hang out'; your friend tried to order a drink or two," he pointed to Danny, "but either you would say no or the bartender would say no, probably because of your ages."

Danny poked at his leech nuts. "Sounds like her, alright..." He muttered.

Canderous ignored his comment and continued. "The first time I heard the two of you going at it, I thought that someone would eventually get shot in the head! Your argument would go from cheating at Pazaak, to the Mandalorian Wars and then to something as stupid as how your own names were spelled out! After a few dozen rounds of Pazaak you both would leave as if you were never fighting."

I chuckled and Danny snorted. "Yup, that sounds like us!" I said.

"There were a few times where I thought you were like a married couple."

It was at that convenient moment that I just happened to be chewing on some banana. I breathed in suddenly, choking on the banana. I heaved until the fruit was back into my mouth and then I slowly swallowed. " _Excuse_ me?!" I gritted out.

When no response came from him, I continued. "Ok, before you even _think_ about getting any wrong ideas, Dan and I are not even close to the _territory_ of a relationship status!"

He raised an eyebrow at me. "That wasn't what I was hinting at," he stood and grabbed his empty plate, "but that's good to know."

He left the room before I could even muster a response. I looked to Danny, daring him to make a witty comeback.

"That escalated quickly."

I threw more banana at him.


	8. Deafening Silence

I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, jumping and dodging through obstacles as they came along. My breathing was shallow but steady, despite the amount of energy that I was using.

I dodged again as blaster bolts flew past me, singeing any hairs on my head that were loose from the braid I had done earlier today.

I briefly reflected on the events that had transpired before this moment, before I was attacked. I had been instructed to meet Zhar at the caves, saying that there was a final lesson that needed to be taught. As expected, he left the message rather cryptic and vague, not hinting as to what he had prepared.

I left the Enclave (luckily) without being spotted, and I had begun my trek through the Dantooine plains. It was peaceful, at first, walking through the tall golden grasses. That is, until a group of Mandalorian Raiders had given me the jump. Without even thinking, I just started running from them in the hopes that I would somehow lose them.

I didn't believe that the lesson would be dangerous, let alone even be outside the enclave, so I hadn't brought any weapons aside from my throwing knife which I didn't have the time to pull from my boot. Even if I did, I would _literally_ have brought a knife to a gunfight and I would've lost one of my more favored weapons while I was at it.

So, here I was, running like a mad dog through the plains of Dantooine. Well, most mad dogs aren't running for their lives, and most mad dogs don't have a bunch of violent Mandalorians chasing them. And most mad dogs had all the breath they could spare.

Me? I was running out of air. Very quickly.

I breathed in heavily, my lungs burning from the constant breaths in and out. I felt my vision blurring and my limbs turning to lead. Every time I breathed in and out, it would sound like a broken squeaky toy, and my lungs would feel like nails were being hammered into them and burning oil was poured into them.

The Mandalorians, trained for such things, had finally caught up to me. One of them had jumped, tackling my legs and making me fall to the ground. I rapidly turned from my belly onto my back, making sure the Mandalorian wouldn't get too great of an advantage. Luckily for me, he wasn't wearing the usual Mandalorian armor you would normally see them in. It would hurt less when he shifted around on me, and it would leave him vulnerable.

He straddled my waist and grabbed my arms. I tried as best as I could to fight him off, twisting my body and my arms in an attempt to loosen his hold on me.

"Looks like you're trapped, girl!" He said, a Cheshire-like grin spreading across his mouth.

I smiled with equal enthusiasm. "Sorry to disappoint you, mate." I rapidly brought my knee up, striking at his groin. He groaned lightly and his grip on me faltered.

I grabbed at this opportunity. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Summoning as much energy as I possibly could in this situation, I pushed the Mandalorion off of my body, using the Force to propel him to a greater distance.

In the months that I had trained with Zhar, I had learned a few different tricks along the way, be it on my own discovery or taught to me by him. This one trick, (I dare not to call them 'powers' as they are not called as such.) the 'Force Push', I had learned when Zhar and I were training out in the plains.

I had learned this trick when we were practicing moving objects between one another. I had not been paying attention when Zhar passed a (rather large) rock to me. Reflexively, I had merely shoved my hands out as a way of blocking it, and that's when I realized that I had actually used the Force to shove the object away from me.

It came in handy, then, it most _certainly_ came in handy, now.

I stood and brushed off my clothes, carefully checking to see that I had not sustained an injury.

I froze suddenly as I heard the familiar sounds of blasters warming up. "I suggest that you don't move, or we _will_ shoot."

I slowly raised my hands and put them behind my head. I then slowly turned to face the Mandalorians. "Does your mommy know you're out this late?" I mentally slapped myself. I shouldn't be getting cocky nor sarcastic with these guys, it could get me killed.

"Shut up, girl!" One of them snapped.

Another, the one I had just pushed off of me, stood and said to him, "Careful with this one, Kodan; she's one of the _Jetti_!"

I shook my head. "You got it all wrong, mate. I may use the Force, but I can assure you, I am no Jedi."

The Mandalorian called 'Kodan', whom I suspected to be the leader of this motley crew, fired warning shots at my feet. "Anyone who uses that black magic is always _Jetti_!"

Kodan was a rather large Mandalorian. He wore only a black shirt and beige colored pants, so most of his battle scars that lined his arms and face were exposed. His hair was short, a jet black with barely visible splashes of grey while his eyes were a dark shade of grey. He also carried what I guessed was a customized blaster rifle. I noticed that he had Mandalorian tattoos on his arms, tattoos that I immediately recognized.

I put my hands back at my sides, not thinking of the possible consequences. "Would a Jedi be companions with a Mandalorian?"

He laughed. "Never."

"Then what if I told you, Kodan," I addressed him by his name, "that I was companions with Canderous, of the Mandalorian clan Ordo?"

The sinister gleam in his eyes suddenly disappeared and he lowered his rifle. "Canderous of..." He shook his head and raised his rifle again. "You're lying." He said.

I shook my head at him. "Nope, I'm not lying to you. I have been travelling with a Mandalorian for the past six months." I nodded to the tattoos on his arms. "He has markings on his arms, markings that look exactly like yours, which look exactly like the symbol of clan Ordo."

"Kodan..."

He snapped at the younger Mandalorian. "Shut up!" He turned back to me. "How do I know you're not lying?"

I stared at him with cold eyes. I told myself I would never swear upon any name, but this was the only exception I would allow. "I swear upon the name of Mandalore that I am not lying to you."

Silence was drawn between us, one that I was actually comfortable with. He was second guessing himself, which was giving me the time that I needed to escape. As long as I kept him talking long enough, they'd easily be caught by the Kath Hounds that were stalking just behind them.

I had seen them a few moments earlier, so I had guessed that the blaster fire had drawn their attention.

"I would never swear upon any name, especially a name of such importance to people, unless I truly mean what I say."

Kodan struggled further; he had a difficult time believing me, but he also had a hard time _not_ believing me. The mention of two such important figures had made him question himself.

"I also don't lie when I tell people this," I moved my foot back slowly, ready to sprint. "You may want to run, and run like hell."

He looked at me with a confused expression. Taking a slight risk, I turned and ran as fast as possible, hoping that I wouldn't get killed.

I heard some blaster fire before I heard the screams, signalling that the Kath Hounds had finally jumped them. With any luck, those will keep the Mandalorians busy for a while.

I never bothered to look back at them, and I never even bothered to look back in general, not until I reached the crystal caves. By then, my legs were completely sore and numb and my breathing had become ragged to the point where I thought I tasted blood in my mouth.

I leaned my back against the tree that was at the cave entrance, my legs giving out and making me slide down to the ground. "Are you alright, Harmony?"

I raised my hand dismissively. "Just ran into a group of Mandalorians. I apologize..."

Zhar shook his head and knelt beside me. "You are injured."

"No I'm not." I said disbelievingly.

He placed a gentle hand on my shoulder, making me look down at it. Apparently, I had been shot while I was running away. Typical. "Don't worry, that shoulder has been injured so often that I've lost count."

A soft blue glow surrounded my shoulder as Zhar worked on healing it. That brought back the memory of when I first ventured out into the plains, when I had first injured that exact shoulder.

I was very surprised that my dislocated shoulder had healed so quickly, but I did not question it as it was hard to draw and sleep with such a painful injury. I still had to be careful, however, with the activities that I participated in as my shoulder would still and always be prone to injury and it could also unexpectedly dislocate itself if pushed or pulled the wrong way.

He removed his hand from my shoulder and stood. "Sometime you should learn this ability on your own, it can become very useful should you or another be injured."

I nodded and stood from my position on the ground. "Yes, I'll try to learn that sometime. Thank you, Master."

I caught myself yet again calling him 'Master'. After the first two months of training with him, I had gained a deep and genuine respect for the Jedi Master, even a family affection for him. I had also come to realize that he was training me not for the protection of others around me, but for my own protection as an individual. He wanted to keep me safe from Malice, so that is why he placed it upon himself to train me in the ways of the Force. He was like an older brother, in a sense, protecting his younger sister.

"So, what are we learning, today?"

He gestured to the cave in front of him. "You shall see." Another cryptic answer, as expected of him.

I nodded. "Alright, then."

Before we entered the cave I quickly snatched my throwing knife from my boot, holding it tightly in my hand. If there were any kinrath in the caves, I would at least have _something_ to protect me. Although Zhar was calm about walking through the caves, I still felt a sense of restlessness and anxiousness while walking in the potentially dangerous cave.

Most people would expect the caves to be dark, cold, damp and lifeless. Well, most people without Force sensitivity would believe it to be as such. As for me, I was feeling and seeing the total opposite of what a cave would be.

The stony walls had a very dim green glow, one that bristled with the Force. It gave off a very warm aura, preventing the cold from ever reaching my skin. I could also feel this... Vibration, of sorts, emanating from the walls which calmed whatever restlessness I felt. Upon closer examination of the walls, I realized that the dim glow was indeed the glow of crystals! They were just barely poking through the stone.

I placed my hand upon the wall and watched in fascination as the glow became slightly brighter at my touch. I removed my hand and the glow died down.

I looked to Zhar, whom was still walking forwards. Snapping from my reverie, I quickly followed him. "This is amazing." I said to him.

"That is what I had thought the first time I saw this cavern." He replied, although not looking to me. It seemed that he had a sort of sentimental memory of this place, something that surprised me.

Another thing that surprised me was that Malice had not protested against that thought. "I do not seem to feel Malice's presence in my mind, either."

Zhar paused for a brief moment, looking to me in what appeared to be surprise. He then nodded. "That is good."

"Is it because of this cave that She isn't bothering me?"

"Yes." He continued to walk forward, gesturing to the cave around us. "These crystal caves, as you have discovered, are alive with the Force. The caves found here on Dantooine have almost no source of darkness, only the light."

I cocked my head slightly. "What about places like Korriban?"

"Any crystal caves found there are places of darkness."

"Is it because Korriban is a home for the Sith? Because the Dark side is so strong, there?"

"You learn quickly." He praised me. "Yes, that is one of the primary reasons. Other reasons could be the people that visit those caves. Here, Jedi are the constant visitors, while there, Sith are the constant visitors."

**So it's all about the** influence **upon the crystals, then.** I deducted. "Interesting. So, when I'm in a place where the Light side of the Force is stronger than the Dark, Malice is weaker or She is unable to control me?"

He nodded. "And Grace is the one who has stronger power over Malice."

"Oh." I suddenly realized how much knowledge he had on the topic of Malice and Grace. "How do you know so much about Them?"

I waited for an answer from him, but none came. He then quickly diverted the topic. "We are here."

Now, do understand that when I looked, I had expected to see a few growing crystals here-and-there, just like in the game. Never on my life, had I expected to see _that_.

It was glorious, to say in the very least! Several crystals protruded from the walls, the ground, even from the ceiling of the cave! Each crystal produced its own colour of light, filling the cave with golden yellows, fiery oranges, sky blues, viridian greens, rose reds, snowy whites, and lilac purples. There was a small pool of glowing water to the right of the large area. I slowly walked to the pool and looked in. Crystals, orange, dark blue, purple, and red, glowed at the bottom of the pool. Whenever the water rippled, it would create a dancing orchestra of lights on the ceiling.

I turned and just continued to stare at the marvelous sight, wondering if I was merely dreaming all of this. "Wow..." Was the only word I could muster.

I heard a small chuckle come from Zhar. "Magnificent, is it not?"

"Yeah..." I said absently, gently brushing my hand over a large crystal. It glowed a brighter blue at my touch. "So, these crystals can _sense_ the Force?"

"In a way, yes."

I nodded. "So... The lesson?"

He smiled, then. "Ah, yes. The final lesson," he gestured, again, around him, "you must select a crystal, one that calls to you, that is connected to you."

My face fell. "Um, but how do I...?" I trailed off.

"You will just know." He answered, again, rather cryptically.

I removed my hand from the crystal, watching as it dimmed down to its natural blue. I looked around the large cave, my eyes darting from crystal to crystal.

**'One that calls to you'...** I slowly walked around the cave, looking at the different crystals as I passed by them. They were all very beautiful, and they all were unique in some way; no two crystals had the same shape or form. I walked by a large formation of pure white crystals, looking at them briefly before passing them.

I heard something, then, something like a whisper. I paused, waiting and listening. Hearing nothing, I back up slowly hoping that I would hear it again.

I did. When I passed by the white crystals again. I cocked my head curiously before kneeling down in front of the formation.

I held my breath and stayed motionless. The sound was much more clear; not a whisper, but a vibration. This crystal, it had a sense of life about it, something that was silent but not yet at rest. Compelled, I moved my hand closer to the formation. The closer my hand moved, the louder the noise became.

When my hand finally touched the crystal, the noise had turned almost deafening, and it now shined almost blindingly so. Barely adding any weight to it, a piece of the crystal broke off with a small snap.

The noise had suddenly stopped, and the light died down. Dumbfounded, I stood and looked to Zhar, who looked just as passive as he did before. "Did you see that? Did you hear that?!"

He merely shook his head.

I stared at him for a brief moment, then looked back to the crystal. "I think that this one wants to come home with me." I joked.

Zhar nodded, a small smile on his lips. "Indeed, it does.

/ / /

I couldn't sleep after that. When I got back to the _Hawk_ I had slipped straight into my bunk, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get to sleep. I just kept thinking about the crystal caves and the experience that I had there.

In what felt like minutes, dawn had finally come on Dantooine. Per usual, Winter, Bastila and Juhani were awake early.

Juhani had joined us about two months ago. It had been a fairly tense joining, however, as there was a certain Mandalorian already on board. I had moved between the two rivals in order to remind them of where they were. "No bloodshed on this ship, m'kay?" I had said.

Canderous had responded with a mild grunt and Juhani, a low growl. **Oh, boy, things are going to be** interesting **on this ship...** I had thought.

"What are you doing up so early, Harmony?" Winter asked me.

I shrugged. "I don't know."

Silence, then, "So, we finally get off this planet today, eh?" Winter nodded, shrugging on her Jedi robe.

"Do we have a plan as to where we shall travel, first?" Bastila asked her.

"Korriban."

Ever heard of the term 'my blood ran cold'? Well, that's what happened to me. Literally. The name of Korriban had _literally_ made my blood freeze over for just a mere second, but it was just enough to bring me to the cold, harsh reality of what could happen if we were to go there, first.

Zhar had told me that, even though I was now properly trained in the ways of the Force, Malice can, and might, still try to control me. And I had learned that Malice is stronger in the more darker places in the galaxy. So, I did my best to try and convince Winter to go somewhere else.

"Why Korriban? Why not Manaan? Heck, I'd even go for Tatooine, if it keeps me away from that creepy place!"

"Best to get it done and over with."

"What if Bastila gets recognized?"

"Simple; keep her on the ship."

My face fell. **Shoot, I forgot that option.** I sighed and slumped against the wall.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I could hear Malice laughing at me. "When do we leave?" I asked, solemnly.

Winter clipped her lightsaber onto her belt. "Well, Bastila said she needed to speak with the Council before we left, so sometime after that."

"Ah."

"I also heard that there are some crystal caves in the western plains. I want to see if I can find it before we have to leave."

I tried desperately to hold back the grin that was threatening to spread across my lips. "I know where it is, I can show you!"

All three Jedi looked at me as if I had said there was a bomb on the ship. I quickly thought up of a lie. "I was exploring the other day and I found the caves."

"Alone?" Bastila asked.

I glared at her. "What of it?"

"Perfect! I'll ask Canderous if he also wants to come along, just in case we run into some trouble along the way." Winter said, cutting Bastila off before she could start arguing with me, again.

I say 'again', because Bastila and I almost _never_ got along on most cases, mainly about morals and ethics and topics related to that. Sometimes it would be some random argument, even, about my age and other simple things. She almost reminded me of my older sister. _Almost_. At least my older sister wasn't a pompous ass with a 'holier-than-thou' attitude.

"Alright." I said, hopping out of the bunk. I stretched out my limbs and cracked the bones in my knuckles and back. "Now the only question is, when is Canderous going to wake up?"

"When's who gonna wake up?"

I shook my head slightly; if Mission was already awake, then there was a ninety-nine percent chance that the rest of the ship would be awake in just a few minutes.

I had realized, in the months I had lived on the _Ebon Hawk,_ that Mission had more energy than the entire crew combined! If she was up then the rest of the crew would be as well. It was the chattering that she did whenever she was tired - like when you bring a friend who's high home, they'll never shut up until they actually fall asleep from wasting their breath!

She rubbed her eyes, yawning widely. "What time is it?"

"Time to get a watch." I muttered sarcastically.

I quickly walked out of the room as a way to avoid the energetic Twi'lek. Despite the fact that she was often annoying (which, like me, was her main charm) she was a lot like a little sister to me.

I went to the cargo hold and went into the food compartment. I dug around until I finally found what I was looking for.

Banana.

I almost laughed at the sight of it. Every time I looked at the golden fruit, I would always think back to that time when Canderous, Danny and I had eaten lunch together. The first time I found out that banana was actually a popular fruit among the common people.

"What's so funny?"

Peeling away the delicate skin of the fruit, I turned and lifted it up as if it were some sort of rare specimen. "Banana."

Danny laughed and shook his head. "The most interesting fruit in the world."

I smirked and bit a chunk out of the banana, barely chewing it before swallowing. I was hungry, and when I'm hungry, I often won't eat properly.

Danny walked past me and rummaged through the food compartment. "So, what was the lesson with Zhar?"

"Something really interesting."

It was really odd speaking about the lessons that Master Zhar taught me, especially when I knew they should've been kept a secret. Danny found out about my lessons with Zhar nearly two weeks after the first lesson. He saw me sneaking out when he was grabbing a snack and he followed me. He questioned me, and I told him that nobody was supposed to know. He promised never to tell anyone.

"What was so interesting?"

I used my free hand to pull the white crystal from my front jean pocket. I let the crystal rest in my hand, showing it to Danny. "This."

He almost choked on his food. "Holy! Is that a lightsaber crystal?!"

I nodded, placing it back in my pocket. "Mhm. He took me to the crystal caves; it's really beautiful there. So beautiful, that I was actually tempted to stay there for a few hours and make a painting of it."

"But you don't like to paint!"

I smirked, taking another bite out of my banana. "Exactly."

It wasn't long until the rest of the crew started waking up. It wasn't really surprising that everyone woke up early in the morning, Canderous and Carth both worked in some form of a military, so I assumed that most military people were expected to wake up early. T3 was a droid, so they really don't sleep. Zaalbar, well, I didn't really know if Wookies even slept too much. Mission probably had to often wake up in the early mornings because she used to be a stowaway. All of the resident Jedi were used to waking up early to prepare for training. Danny's sleeping pattern, I wouldn't even know!

So, yeah, we were all basically early risers. Despite that fact, a couple of people weren't really 'morning people'. Like Canderous, for instance.

I felt him _way_ before I heard him! I literally could feel the irritation emanating from off of him. With my training, I was able to feel someone's emotions, but not willingly. It was extremely hard to block out someone's emotions, and equally hard to block my own emotions. Zhar said that those skills would come with time.

He walked into the Cargo Hold, muttering what I could only guess was expletives under his breath. His hair was slightly disheveled and there was a hint of black under his eyes. I didn't dare comment on his looks, that would be like putting your head in the mouth of a crocodile! I just merely finished my banana.

Danny, unfortunately, wasn't as wise.

"Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed, this-morning."

Canderous growled under his breath and glared at Danny. I literally froze in my place, terrified by the menacing glare that Canderous was giving. I was never intimidated by looks, but _that_ face would be the only exception I'd make.

Danny shrunk back and quickly finished his food before darting out of the room. I shook my head at him. "There are so many times where I question his sanity," I threw the banana peel into the make-shift garbage, which was a cylindrical container. "And his intelligence."

Canderous only grunted.

I sat (slightly uncomfortably) on the container, crossing my legs. "Um, Canderous?"

Another grunt.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Mhm."

"Um, while I was exploring, I ran into a group of Mandalorians..."

He pulled up a container and sat down on it. "That's nothing new, kid."

I started to crack my knuckles, one-by-one. A habit I have been unable to break. "Um, well, the leader of the group? He said he knew you..."

"Oh, really?"

I was getting slightly irritated at his 'I-don't-give-a-shit' attitude. It was the early morning, but even a grumpy Mandalorian would at least take an interest in something like this. So, I cut straight to the chase.

"I found out that his name is 'Kodan'; sound familiar to you?"

Y'know that look that Canderous had given Danny? Well, he gave me the exact same look, only without the glare. Despite that fact, the look was still enough to make me want to stuff myself in a coffin, bury myself six feet under, and never come out!

"Kodan?"

I nodded.

He then said nothing. He only continued to stare at me, his steel-grey eyes never leaving mine. His face betrayed no emotions, making it hard for me to tell what he was thinking.

He then took his eyes off mine and continued to eat. I felt my body relax and I let out a breath that I never realized I was holding. Despite myself, I was realizing that Canderous was finally falling back into his stoic personality, unlike the first time I had met him.

I started to reflect on the events that transpired upon my arrival to this world. I had expected Canderous to be almost uncaring about my appearance on the ship and that he wouldn't care if I was leaving. No, instead, he was the first person to actually stick around long enough to have a decent conversation with me. He was the only one who wanted to come along when I went out to the plains. He was the one who protected me, the one who woke me from my nightmares. He was treating me as if I were a fellow Mandalorian, which was something that I wasn't.

I also remembered how he said that the first time he met me was on Taris. He told me some stories, but I felt as if there was something missing, something that he wasn't telling me. Or something that he hasn't told me. That was part of my 'sixth sense'; I could easily tell if someone wasn't telling me something that they should be telling me.

I was about to broach the subject, but it was at that moment that Winter had decided to walk into the Cargo Hold.

"You ready to head out, Harmony?"

"Just let me grab my stuff."

I quickly exited the Hold, heading back to the dormitory. I moved my pillow and grabbed my knives. Yes, I slept with my knives under my pillow, but I didn't care that other people thought I was weird.

I grabbed my quiver, which contained my bow and arrows, slung it over my head and tightened the strap across my chest.

Satisfied, I turned and walked out of the dormitory, down the hall and out of the _Hawk_ , where Canderous and Winter were waiting for me. "How do you guys do that? Y'know, just, one second you're here and the next you're there?"

"We're always prepared." Winter replied, shrugging.

"Right."

I waited a brief moment, expecting them to at least move. "I thought we were going somewhere?" I asked.

Winter cocked her head as if she had no idea what I meant. "Hm? I thought you said you knew where the caves were?"

I paused for a second, not comprehending what she meant. I was smart, but I was still incredibly naïve! If someone was hinting at something, if someone was making an innuendo, flirting, or trying to insult me _directly_ , I never understood them until I was told or until I asked.

"Um.. You want _me_ to lead?" I asked, pointing to myself. Winter nodded.

At first, I questioned it, but I soon jumped at the opportunity to lead for a change. Being the youngest out of a total of seven children (if you include my sister-in-law), I was always told to shut up and stay out of things, that children were meant to be seen and not heard, never having a chance to speak or give my opinion. It sucked, quite frankly. Getting a chance to lead someone, especially if I'm _offered_ to lead, is something I rarely would come by, especially when I'm surrounded by adults!

I grinned. "Okay, follow me!"

I walked ahead of them, a new leap in my step. It was childish, I know, to be excited over something so small, but unless you're the youngest in such a large family, you truly don't understand what it's like to be given such an opportunity. With so many older siblings, you're always treated like a five-year-old. Even if you're fifteen or even sixteen years old, you'll always be treated like you're not even able to work a stupid microwave!

"Don't you have any better weapons, kid?"

I hung my head. **And** there's **the condescension that was missing...** "I like my bow and arrows, don't suggest that I use a blaster." I muttered.

He didn't bother with a reply, knowing full well that the argument would go nowhere.

When we got to the entrance, again, the droid wasn't there. I finally understood why, now. In the game, the droid was just there to keep the player from going too far ahead in the game. Winter was an adult and she was also mature enough to think logically and stick to places where she is supposed to be (unlike the _many_ video game players that I watched on YouTube).

"Well, the caves are in the farthest end of the plains, so we're going to be walking for quite a while. And Canderous," I pointed at the Mandalorian, "no random shooting! Keep your hands off the triggers. We don't want to attract the attention of either Kath Hounds or Mandalorians, that'll only slow us down."

I thought about that last statement for a brief moment. "Okay, if the Mandalorians _do_ spot us, chances are they might recognize you or something." I waved my hand dismissively. "Never mind."

"Still isn't a reason to go shooting them."

"I never said that!" I snapped at him.

Winter stepped between us before things could get too heated. "Okay, fighting isn't going to get us there any quicker, either." She then gestured to me. "So, lead on."

I turned back around and walked, not paying attention to the two behind me, making sure I was doing a 'power-walk' to keep ahead of them. I also learned in the months of being on the _Hawk_ that, no matter what, the adults of the group are always faster than the younger generation due to longer legs. They've also had training, so they had more muscles in their legs.

I learned this the harder way when Danny, Canderous and I were exploring the plains in the hopes that we could find a town or something that had a Cantina. It was originally Danny and I that had thought of this idea, but then we thought that we could use the extra muscle and firepower in case we ran into another pack of hounds or a group of Mandalorians.

To my most _greatest_ joy (sarcastically speaking), we had run into a pack of horned Kath Hounds. Danny and I, after firing a few blaster rounds and arrows at them, realized that we wouldn't stand a chance unless we had a grenade or an extra person with us, so we high-tailed it in the opposite direction. Canderous had reluctantly followed us.

Danny and Canderous, being the older ones as well as the men of the group (no sexism intended), had ran ahead of me by several meters. I took a huge risk in getting caught by Canderous by using the Force to help me run faster, but it was better than getting trampled by a hound!

I shook my head, not wanting to be distracted from the task at hand. I didn't want to make and idiot of myself and get lost.

As we traveled through the plains, I continuously searched for the 'land marks' that I had seen the first time I traveled to the caves. We had already passed the blossom tree and we passed the 'pride' tree, the one with lots of rocks where the hounds slept. So, the last place would be the attack site, where the Mandalorians caught me.

And where the Kath Hounds had attacked the Mandalorians.

I paused for a moment, looking around the small area. There was a large puddle of dried blood, possibly where a Mandalorian had been mauled to death. Despite the fact that it was a hound that killed or injured him, I couldn't help but feel guilty at the fact that I hadn't given them a better warning.

Yeah, I still felt guilty about hurting or killing people. I had killed several animals, Iriaz and Kath Hounds being some of them, but I still hadn't killed a living person. I would never be able to bring myself to do that, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did.

_'It's just like killing an animal, you know. And it's quite easy... Just a pull of the trigger-'_

**Shut. Up.** I growled in frustration.

"I take it this is where you were ambushed?" Canderous asked, looking over to the blood.

"Yeah. If it weren't for the hounds, I would've been a goner."

Ignoring the sickness that was pooling in my stomach, I walked in the direction of the caves. "We're almost there." I said, trying my best not to vomit from the stench that the blood left.

"You said his name was 'Kodan'." Canderous said, thinking back to our earlier conversation (if you can even call it that). "You're sure about that?"

I shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. One of them called the guy Kodan, so I guess that's his name."

"What are you guys talking about, now?"

"I was ambushed by Mandalorians, here. I told Canderous that one of them was called 'Kodan'." I pointed back at him for a brief moment. "He seems to recognize the name."

"Ah. I see."

Trying to get out of this rather _uncomfortable_ conversation, I made a show of 'tripping' over a rock. Brushing my pants off, I pointed forward. "There it is."

The caves. It looked a little different during the day, but I knew that was the one. I could still feel that vibration emanating from it, that silent noise. I briefly felt at my front jean pocket as the crystal suddenly started increasing in brightness. Then I remembered, I was the only one who could see it. I didn't quite understand it, myself, but I didn't think about it too much.

"I'm going to wait out here." I said. "I've already been in there, and someone should keep watch."

"Then I should be keeping watch."

I shook my head at him. "No, if there are Kinrath in there, I won't really be much help to Winter. You're the one who has better experience in fighting."

Truthfully, that was really the reason I wanted to stay outside. The Kinrath were the primary issue. If there were eggs in there and if they hatched, we'd be surrounded by giant spiders! I wouldn't be of much use, then.

Before Canderous could protest, Winter placed a gentle hand on his arm. "She has a point. If she were to run out of arrows, she could get hurt."

He looked to Winter, then back to me. With a small grunt, he turned around and went into the cave. I chuckled to myself. **Now** there's **the Canderous we all know and love.**

Winter sighed and went in after him, shooting me an almost apologetic look.

I kicked at a stone that was lying at my foot, putting my hands in my pockets. I knew that they could take a while if they got lost, in there. There could be interference with the comm links as well due to the rocks, so I wouldn't be able to contact them if I wanted to.

So, since I was alone, I decided to sing a few songs from home. I would sing them quietly, so I wouldn't attract any unwanted attention.

I leaned against the tree, breaking off a piece of branch and taking out my pocket knife. I started whittling at the wood, not really creating anything in particular.

_My heart is sinking as I'm lifting_  
_Up above the clouds, away from you._  
_And I can't believe I'm leaving,  
_ _Oh, I don't kno-kno-know what I'm gonna do._

I cut delicately at the branch, not wishing to split the wood while I carved into it. Subconsciously, I started cutting to the beat of the song.

_But someday,_  
_I will find my way,_  
_Back to where your name,  
_ _Is written in the sand._

I twisted my head the way the knife twisted, watching as the wood curled and separated from the entire piece, falling to my feet. Slowly, it was taking shape into something different.

_Cause I remember every sunset,_   
_I remember every word you said._   
_And we were never gonna say good-bye._   
_Singing, la-da-da-da-da._

It had to be perfect. No mistakes were to be made. It had to look real, it had to look delicate, soft, silky. I gently carved at the wood, watching as the shavings slowly peeled off. I watched for the smallest of mistakes, and I'd always correct them.

_Tell me how to get back to,_  
 _Back to summer paradise with you._  
 _And I'll be there in a heartbeat.  
Oh-oh._  
 _I'll be there in a heartbeat._  
Oh-oh.

Finally, I shaved off the final rough edges, holding my breath as my blade cut through with ease.

I scanned over the little creation, looking for any sort of flaw within the wood. I shall admit, there were a few un-fixable flaws, but that was what I had to live with. It was on the pathway to excellent; I got to the 'alright' place. I had to look around, get used to being in 'alright' because that was often the best I was going to get.

I grabbed the stem and twisted it a bit, watching the petals twirl. I looked at the wooden flower, wondering how that song made me think of a flower.

Maybe it was because it was talking of a blooming relationship. A flower, it was closed. The flower was almost in full bloom, but then separation got in the way. The clouds blocked the sun. But the flower never shriveled up, it didn't shy away from the dark. Because it knew the sun would be back...

A twig snapped, and I dropped the wooden flower, grabbing my bow and setting an arrow on the rest. I looked around, my eyes darting from trees to rocks then back out to the plains. Someone was there, or something, but I didn't know what, and that's what made me uncomfortable.

I froze completely. I didn't dare move. I listened closely, trying to hear whatever was out there. I then took a deep breath through my nose, opening my mouth slightly as I did. The air passed through my nose and brushed through my mouth, letting me 'taste' the air. It was a trick my archery teacher taught me. She took me out hunting, and she said that smelling the air with your mouth open can help you tell if something is close or not. It was a helpful trick to learn, and we came back with a large Buck Deer. Plenty of meat for the table.

Something was in the air. Something smelled tangy, almost like a stench. It tasted metallic, salty, moist. Like perspiration. I knew that scent all too well. It was the scent of a young soldier out on the front lines, the scent of a lost child in the woods. The scent of a man with intent to murder.

I pulled back on the string, ready to fire if needed. I honestly was t sure if I would actually shoot if it was a person, but I would most definitely send a warning shot.

I took another breath. The scent had gotten stronger, heavier, closer. Whoever it was, they really weren't sure of themselves.

"I know you're here." I called out. "Whoever you are, come on out!"

No response came. No wind to stir the grass, no birds, no hounds, nothing. Thinking I was merely being paranoid, I relaxed the string on my bow, but I didn't dare take off the arrow.

I then got that feeling in my stomach. You know that feeling when you've made a grave mistake, like when you've nearly failed your math test, when you forgot to lock the cage on your pet. When you've made a mistake that could easily destroy your life.

I felt something suddenly wrap around my neck. I gasped, ready to cry out, but my scream was cut off by the tightening of the material around my neck.

I breathed in as best as I could, desperately trying to preserve my air, to not panic, to not have my life drained from me. I groped at my neck, trying to relieve the pressure around it. By the feels of it, it was probably some sort of string or narrow rope, made to strangle. It wrapped perfectly around the weakest point of the windpipe, easily cutting off all hopes of air reaching the lungs.

I tried to dig the heel of my boot into their foot, trying to make them loosen their grip. That only made matters worse, as they, my assailant, was taller than me. The tips of my toes was the only part of me that was touching the ground.

I tried to think quickly. My vision, now blurring, told me that I only had a short time before I completely blacked out. If I tried to kick them by curling up, I will possibly only wind up choking _myself_ to death! They were being careful, not letting any part of their body touch mine. They knew how to kill, they knew that any contact between the body could easily grant a way out.

My only option, I realized, was to just give in.

Stubbornness got the best of me, my will to stay strong, my will to live, was far too strong for me to just give up. So, I continued to struggle, trying to loosen the rope around my neck. I felt the pulse in my neck quicken, but my heartbeats were becoming considerably slow.

My muscles started to relax, my eyes became heavy, my mind slow and tired. I felt Malice laughing at me, mocking me.

' _Weak, afraid, stupid. You'll never be able to survive alone..._ '

The darkness, although frightening, was warmly welcomed.


	9. Playing Games with Reality

_Cold, damp, dark. Can't hardly see, can't find the way out. No, I don't want to be here, I don't want that fear! I want a place that's light, warm, dry. I want out!_

_My eyes open, but I do not see cold stones. I do not see the fog, the darkness that should've been there. No, it is lighter, warmer, less damp than what it should've been._

_A tree, dead, void of any life. Brown, almost black, its branches spread out and curl, almost like claws. Leaves, dead, floating, lay at the bottom. A small pond is beside the tree, its colour a deep shade of blue, almost black. A rock, three in fact, sit beside the tree. Two smaller, sitting on the opposite sides of the larger rock in between them. On the rock, is not something I had expected._

_A wooden board, with black and white tiles, sits on the larger rock. On the board, small white pieces line one side and small black pieces line the other. I almost immediately recognize this game. A game I enjoyed as a young girl. The game of chess._

_"This world, it was a game. Was."_

_Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath, the moist air filling my lungs. That voice, no longer in my head, but in my ears, is unmistakable. I open my eyes, and find Her sitting there, on the side with the black pieces._

_"You love to play."_

_Taking that as an invitation, I sit on the rock opposite of Her, where the white pieces are._

_Looking to Her, I slowly try to calm my nerves. She, Malice, has done this continuously, pulling me into Her nightmares, taking a form that alternated my own, made me look darker, look menacing. She originally intended to break me, but now She just merely does it for the pleasure of company in Her world._

_"You always, no matter what, made the first move in the game." She says, lifting Her head and letting Her hair move away from Her pale face. Her eyes, orange and blood red, startle me for a brief moment. I then first move my pawn. "You caught on quickly, always studying them, how they talked, how they acted, and you always anticipated the worst outcome."_

_She grabs Her own pawn with a white, clawed hand, moving it just diagonal of my own. "You always took the advantage and attacked."_

_I knock out Her pawn with my own, taking the position it once had. Suddenly, I realize my mistake. "Despite the mistakes," She moves Her knight and takes out my pawn, smiling with glee. "You always got right back to it, always restarting, covering whatever mistake you made."_

_I immediately bring my bishop out, moving it diagonally across the board. "But now, here you are." She moves another pawn, although just out of my bishop's reach. "You are now part of the game. You are with smarter people, stronger opponents. Ones that cannot be so easily defeated."_

_I move another pawn, quickly calculating Her next possible movements. "You doubt your own judgment, doubt your skills, your knowledge." She moves Her rook. "Because now, this fantasy is reality."_

_I move my bishop again, bringing it closer to the pawns. I know what She is actually saying, Her real implications, with Her words. "This is no different; I only have to fight harder. I have to think better, act more wisely. Survive stronger..."_

_She moves Her pawn, again, moving it out of the reach of my own pawn. "And yet you still end up in the hands of a near-killer." She shakes Her head in mock disappointment. "I thought you'd be better than that."_

_"A mistake."_

_"Indeed. A mistake you'll never wish to make again. You'll never be as fortunate as this time." She gestures to the board. "Your move."_

_I cross my arms. "What if I don't want to play? What if I quit? What if I eliminate those risks I take in playing this game?"_

_She smiles, exposing Her gleaming white teeth. "Oh, you don't have an option. You see, if you quit, I'll make sure that you die." The board suddenly catches fire, and Her smile turns to a scowl. "Slowly. Painfully."_

_A spark of the flame lights the sleeve of my jacket. I stand from the rock, backing away from the flames whilst trying to douse the ones on my arm. "Oh, and not just you. I'll make sure that everyone else suffers just the same._ Everyone _."_

_Suddenly, I am falling. I had forgotten that the pond was there. I fall into the dark, murky water and the flames are doused. I claw at the air, desperately trying to break the surface, but I am only being dragged further into the dark depths. I then feel it, the pressure on my arms, my legs. I am being physically pulled down._

_I thrash around, hoping to rid the hands that hold onto me. 'Everyone who is with you, once you begin to drown,' I hear a menacing laugh, 'then they all drown with you.'_

/ / /

I gasped for air, shaking my head to rid myself of the water that dripped off of my hair and face.

"Wake up, girl!"

I opened my eyes, still gasping for air. It was still somewhat dark, but small rays of light were streaming through what I thought were holes in a tent. It granted me some sight, which I was grateful for.

I struggled to get up off of the ground, but my hands were bound behind me by something. Cuffs, perhaps. Ropes, most likely. Either way, it felt thick and rough and it rubbed at my skin to the point where it felt like it was bleeding. My quiver and my bow was gone, and the lack of pressure on my belt-area signalled that my pocket knives were also taken.

I calmed down and I was finally able to comprehend my complete surroundings. I _was_ indeed, in a tent. A _very_ small tent, one that didn't agree with me. Standing in front of me were two men, one dressed in blue armour and the other dressed in a black shirt and beige pants. The one with the armour was holding what I thought was a bucket. That explains the water...

The one in the black shirt whispered to the other, and he nodded. The one in blue left, but the other stayed. I looked up at his face, and my blood ran completely cold.

It was Kodan.

Out of anxiety, I started to ramble. "Okay, I'm sorry, but the Kath Hounds were _not_ my fault. I gave you a fair warning, mate, but you didn't take it! I'm sorry if anyone was hurt or killed, I didn't intend for that to-"

"Shut up!"

I closed my mouth with a _clack_. "In any case, I _am_ curious as to why I'm here." I mumbled.

Kodan walked around me, slowly and surely. Every step he made created a crunching sound as the dirt was smothered under his boots. It made me nervous.

His deep voice made me jump. "You said that you are travelling with Canderous of Ordo."

I nodded. "Mhm."

"Well, one of my patrols had seen you back where we were attacked." He leaned down in front of me, his face inches from mine. "And it just so happened that you were with one of the _Jetii_ and another Mandalorian."

"Yeah it was Canderous, _ori'haat_!" I caught myself using the Mando'a language.

Kodan sighed, his breath reaching my nose. It smelled like alcohol. Despite the stench, I tried my best not to gag or faint. "Well, if you're telling the truth, then when he realizes you're missing he won't be too far behind."

Realization dawned on me. "Hold on, you had one of your goons nearly choke me to _death_ just to kidnap me, _just_ so you could see if I was _lying_ about something?! That's just stupid!"

He didn't reply to me. He only stood and turned in an intent to leave me. In the really small tent. Where it was fairly dark...

**My claustrophobia and nyctophobia** really **isn't agreeing with me, right now!** "Wait! Why are you leaving me in here? Without my bow or my pocket knives, I'm not that great of a threat!"

"Don't think I'm stupid, kid! You may not have your weapons, but that doesn't mean you're entirely helpless." With that, he left me, closing the flaps of the tent.

Despite my irritation at him calling me a 'kid', I couldn't help but smile. He may have stripped me of my bow and my pocket knives, but there was one weapon he forgot about. Another thought came across my mind, one I hadn't even expected.

**He sounds** a lot **like Canderous...**

I shook my head to rid it of that thought. Trying not to break my legs, I did my best to sit up and let them bend underneath me so I could sit on my knees. I stretched my right leg so my hand could reach the top of my boot, desperately hoping he didn't do a _complete_ search of me.

My fingers grazed against the hilt of my throwing knife. I let out a sigh of relief; I at least had a small hope of escaping this mess!

I stretched my arm to the best of my ability, my shoulders stretching almost impossibly. Suddenly, a loud crack sounded and I cried out quietly. I immediately stopped reaching for my knife and relaxed my arms. I felt the hot tears threatening to escape my eyes but I forced them back, biting on my tongue.

In the excitement of my escape, I had forgotten about my bad shoulder. It popped completely out its socket, reinstating the sharp pain that I had first felt several months ago.

Malice laughed at me. ' _You try so hard, but only succeed in making things harder for yourself_ '

I scowled. **Yeah, but you know what I forgot to mention?**

' _Mm?_ '

I then grinned. **Patience, is** always **a virtue.**

She stayed silent, then. I grinned triumphantly at my small victory against Malice. That grin turned to a grimace as the pain in my shoulder sharpened slightly as I shifted my arms.

I sighed. That _patience_ I supposedly had was slowly being edged away.

/ / /

"You almost done?"

"As a matter of fact, I am. So quit complaining and be patient!"

I shook my head at the Jedi. She had been at this for hell-knows-how-long, and it was almost making me edgy.

The kid was still outside, 'keeping watch' if that's what she meant when she said that she'd stay outside.

She may only be a kid, but she knew how to take care of herself, but her fighting techniques were almost sloppy and needed a lot of work. Even if her techniques were sloppy, I'm pretty sure that her attitude would scare off a Rancor if someone pissed her off enough.

She was sometimes stupid and she didn't know when to shut her mouth, but she was everything that a Mandalorian was; strong, fierce, brave, especially stubborn. However, she was far too inexperienced in the ways of battle. She was too... Sensitive, almost delicate.

Winter brushed past me. "Okay, Canderous. Let's go."

I followed close beside her. Hopefully the Kinrath weren't around anymore so it would be easier to get out. Those damn things were vicious. Almost got stung by one of the poisonous ones, too.

"Wait a second..."

I stopped. "What is it now?"

She was still, not a single muscle in her body moved. "Something's not right. Harmony should be out there, but she isn't."

I rolled my eyes. "The kid probably wandered off a bit. She does that, you know."

She shook her head. "No, I mean she isn't there! She's not even a distance away. She's _gone_ , Canderous!"

If she was right, that Harmony really wasn't there, then something was wrong. She never wanders off without saying something, first.

We both ran outside, finding that Harmony really wasn't there. Her bow and her quiver were just laying on the grass. I noticed that there was an arrow placed on the string.

"She was kidnapped."

"How would you know that?"

I pointed to the bow with my rifle. "The kid never lets that weapon of hers out of her sight. And she left an arrow on the string. She was ready to attack someone."

Winter sighed. "Well, if you're right, we have to look for her."

I picked up the bow and the quiver, slinging them over my shoulder. "And how do you think we'll do that? There's no trail."

"The Force has many uses."

I growled. I hated it when she talked like that. "So what the hell does that mean?"

She picked up something from the ground. "Anything that Harmony touches, it leaves a 'trace' of some kind - like a trail, but with the Force." She showed me what I thought was one of Harmony's 'creations'. It looked like some kind of flower, as far as I could tell. "If she was carried or dragged, I'll be able to follow her trail."

"Why not just use her bow to help follow her little 'trail'?"

"Because you touched it. It will be either mixed in or it will be faded. It's better to use something that hasn't been touched by someone else."

I nodded. "Fair enough." There were times when I actually appreciated the _Jetii_ and their Force.

"She was carried off in that direction." She said, pointing to where we had came from several minutes ago.

"Well, we better get going. If she was kidnapped by a Mandalorian, things aren't gonna go to well for her."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because Mandalorians aren't too forgiving."

She looked at me, almost confused. "What'd she do?"

I shrugged my shoulders. She didn't really need to know all the details. "Who knows. She only told me she angered a group of Mandalorians yesterday."

The camp wasn't as far as I had expected, but it was far enough. It was just outside the area of prying eyes, and was well hidden behind a line of trees and boulders. That would explain why the kid was ambushed; they were almost right behind her.

"Let's hope the kid hasn't gotten any stupid ideas, at this point."

/ / /

I banged my head against the wooden pole, growling in frustration at myself. If I didn't do this, I was going to definitely die of either boredom or by a blaster. Neither sounded too welcoming.

I brought myself back up to a kneeling position. I was panting in anticipation of the pain that would surely come. **Just think about fluffy baby kittens... Okay, now that's just stupid! Quit being a wuss and get it over with, Katherine!**

Taking a deep and heavy breath, I stretched my arm and reached again for the throwing knife. I whimpered at the pain in my shoulder, biting on my tongue to keep from screaming.

I lifted my right leg up slightly, mainly out of pain, and my hand grasped the hilt of my knife. I quickly put my leg back down and my knife slipped from the hilt in my boot. I sighed in relief and let my arms relax for a brief moment.

Now, the only issue was, how on earth was I going to cut the ropes?

I turned the blade around so it was now pointed towards the sky rather than the ground, moving it across my wrists. I heard a rough scraping sound and I knew that I had found the ropes.

I started moving the knife back-and-forth, listening as the jagged edges of the blade cut against the rough material of the ropes. It was strenuous for both my shoulder as well as my fingers, but if it meant escape then it was all worth it.

I cut as deep into the ropes as I would allow myself to. I didn't want the ropes to suddenly snap and have the knife cut into my wrists. Dropping the knife I started pulling my arms away from each other with all of the strength that I had. I felt the tears burning behind my eyes, but I held them back. If I cried now, I wouldn't have the strength to pull the ropes.

With a loud snap, the ropes finally broke loose. I groaned triumphantly and I let my arms rest at my sides. I was now gasping for breath, and my shoulder felt as if it had completely fallen off! But I was free and I was happy, for the most part.

However, I couldn't leave my shoulder in that condition. I grimaced and banged my head, again, against the pole. "I hate life..."

Using my left hand, I placed it on my right shoulder. **It's just like pulling a loose tooth, or ripping off a band-aid; just a quick tug and it'll be over...**

Biting my tongue I tugged roughly at my shoulder and the bones cracked back into place. I ground my teeth into my tongue and slammed my fist into the dirt. **Sweet** heavens **that hurts!**

I clawed at the dirt for a few moments before the pain had subsided. I grabbed my throwing knife and placed it back into my boot, silently thanking my older brother for having stuff in his room that he never wants. Whatever he didn't want, he often gave to me because I was the youngest and I was also a tom-boy, so I was interested in that kind of stuff.

Rolling my shoulders, I stood up in the small tent and looked around, hoping that there was some kind of container or chest that I could look through. Mandalorians weren't wasteful, they found any weapon to be useful no matter how small or petty the weapon may be.

None such thing. I sighed. **If he took my pocket knives, I'm going to** murder **him in his sleep!**

I slowly and carefully walked to the entrance of the tent, peeking out through the crack between the flaps.

There were, in my range of sight, about half a dozen Mandalorians. All of them humans. They were all either distracted or not looking towards the tent. Since they were all human, they had average senses, but they are highly trained soldiers. One wrong move, and I'd be done for. One wrong noise, I'd be done for. One wrong judgement, calculation, or prediction, I'd be done for.

Such great odds.

I thought on what else I could do. If I was to try and escape, where would I go? And even if I did manage to get out of the camp I could easily be spotted by another patrol.

There was also the fact that if Canderous and Winter were looking for me, and I escaped, they would wind up at a dead end and they could possibly be captured or killed by the Mandalorians. I didn't truly know what Kodan's intentions were, but I could easily tell that they weren't too friendly.

But, when I talked with Canderous about Kodan, his face betrayed something, almost like recognition or familiarity. And Kodan seems to know Canderous, so maybe all he wants is some sort of 'reunion' of sorts. And I would suspect that, if Kodan is part of clan Ordo, then he wouldn't kill a fellow Mandalorian.

It was a plausible theory, and I didn't want to stay in a Mandalorian camp for too long. However, the Mandalorians were considerably larger than I was and if I were to start a fight with one of them I would end up defeated before I threw a punch. So, a sneaky escape was the only option I really had.

I took my knife back out from its hiding spot in my boot, and slowly approached the entrance to the tent. I took another peek out of the crack, checking around the general area.

It looked as if Kodan didn't think I was too great of a threat, because there weren't guards or anything posted by the tent. Good, that made my task a whole lot easier.

The Mandalorians that were walking around didn't have a general pattern; they were either just idling about or attending to whatever tasks were given to them. This made things a little bit difficult, but not by much.

Leaving through the entrance was somewhat typical as well as dangerous, because if the moving of the flap attracted attention then I would be pretty much screwed over.

I shrunk back from the entrance, looking around in the hopes of finding some sort of rip or hole in the tent. The only holes were in the ceiling, so I had to make a hole of my own.

I went to the back of the tent. Taking my knife, I cut a small hole so I could look out before proceeding with a larger one. There wasn't anyone near the back of the tent, which was good.

I pushed my knife to the hilt through the rough material and pushed down, wincing at the sound of fabric being ripped. With each agonizing second of hearing that sound, the knot in my stomach proceeded to grow larger and tighter. It was the familiar sensation of fear, I knew; the fear of being caught by one of the Mandalorians, the fear of the consequences if I was caught.

My knife caught on a particularly tough knot of fabric, refusing to cut downward. Taking a breath, I grabbed the hilt with both hands and yanked down.

The fabric gave way with an agonizingly loud rip, making me flinch and retreat back, looking over my shoulder to make sure that nobody heard.

I stared at the entrance for what felt like several minutes, but when nobody came in I went right back to cutting the hole in the tent. It was about another half-a-meter before I made a hole large enough for me to fit through.

I started to hum softly to myself, expelling the nervousness that was causing my whole body to shake with fear. I couldn't understand why I was so afraid of the Mandalorians, or was it that I was just afraid of Kodan? Either way, I didn't understand it.

'Such fear, can only make it greater; a fear of the unknown. You don't know what could happen, what they could do to you...'

I ignored the voice in my head, humming the song louder.

' _I am not something that you can so easily block out... I am that voice that roars louder than thunder, the voice that can shout over the cries of soldiers, the voice that can rip through the screams of the suffering. I am the voice you can_ never _ignore!_ '

In anger, I yanked the knife the rest of the way down the tent, not caring if I was heard or not. This Malice, if I didn't find a better way to vent my emotions, She would have a much better chance at controlling me than I wished to allow Her.

I checked, again, through the hole I had made. Still no one was there. I stepped out, slowly and cautiously, the knot growing ever tighter. I tripped onto the hilt of my throwing knife, my knuckles turning white under the pressure.

I slipped through with ease and I wasn't spotted or caught by any Mandalorians that could've been passing by. Good.

I was about ready to leave the camp, but then I remembered how Kodan still had my pocket knives! I couldn't leave without them. I had those knives for so many years, I wasn't about to leave them now!

It was stupid, it was dangerous, and it was just plain risky. Meh, I'm an idiot like that.

I made my way around the tent, crouching to make myself more silent while walking. I looked around the corner, and my whole stomach had turned over on its side!

There was way more than half-a-dozen. _Way_ more!

I face-palmed myself. How on earth was I going to get through all of them without getting caught?

If there were trees around, I would've simply jumped between them. But, no, there were only tents and piles of boxed supplies. Such great luck...

**Wait, this could actually work!**

Looking around to make sure that nobody was looking my way, I dashed across from one tent to another, diving behind it. I froze and listened for a brief moment. It didn't sound like someone was coming for me, so I assumed that it had worked.

I continued to dodge and weave between tents and stacks of containers, looking desperately for Kodan. If not Kodan, then something that looked like his tent, if he had his own personal tent.

"Jedi!"

I jumped, covering my mouth to prevent myself from screaming. I shrunk further behind the stack of containers, peeking over them just slightly.

All of the Mandalorians were running towards... Something. I didn't know what, but it seemed important enough to have the whole camp running at it.

I saw a flash of black, which caught my immediate attention. Kodan had run from out of his tent, heavy rifle in hand. I waited until he was gone and then ran for the tent, stealth completely forgotten and abandoned.

Whatever distracted the whole camp, I was grateful for it.

I burst into the tent, my eyes darting around in search of my pocket knives. I rooted through every pack, container and footlocker, but there was no sign of my pocket knives anywhere. I cursed colourfully under my breath. **The little ripper must have snatched them and kept them!**

Well this definitely complicated things! I didn't want to leave without my pocket knives because I had no idea when or if I'd see Kodan, again. But this was the only chance I had of escaping the camp...

I quickly made a decision; I'd leave, but not without taking something, first!

I grabbed at the first weapon I saw - a dagger. Rodian, I believe. I could hardly tell the difference, but it was a good enough of a guess.

Satisfied, I turned and left the tent, looking around to make sure that no one was around. For some reason, it was quiet, a little too quiet. I didn't like it too much, but I didn't really think too much on it at that time.

I had to hurry; if things were quiet, then that probably meant that whatever battle that had been fought was over, which also meant that the Mandalorians would be coming back into the camp.

I started to run, stealth be damned! I needed, _wanted_ , to get out before someone saw me.

I was caught up in the moment, the adrenaline rushing through my veins. In a way, a crazy way, I loved the current situation. The excitement, the fear, it all felt amazing, it felt new, _different_. Well, typically enough, the feeling came to an utter, screeching halt as I tripped over my own feet. Quite literally.

I loud grunt escaped my lips, and I cursed under my breath for being clumsy.

Before I could pick myself up, I heard gun being charged. "Make any sudden moves, you get a blaster shot in your brains!"

I sighed, burying my face further into the dirt. **Whoever created Mandalorians, I'll kill him!** Slowly, I picked myself up off of the ground and placed my hands on the back of my head. Before he would tell me to, I slowly turned around to face him.

I don't know if I ever explained this before, but I have another sixth sense, one that tells me something is wrong, one that sends alarms ringing in my brain when I'm in running into a bad situation or a bad person. This one, also told me that I had met this guy before.

The smell of fear was reeking from this particular Mandalorian. He had a good reason to be afraid!

This was the Mandalorian that had kidnapped me!

Fear burned in my mind, creating vapours of anger in my heart. I tried to calm myself down, to avoid doing something stupid as well as to avoid hurting someone who was merely following orders.

**It wasn't entirely his fault. He merely followed what his leader told him to do, he has loyalties the same way you do. He probably wasn't the one who wanted to choke you, it was Kodan.**

Almost immediately, I felt a wave of calm go over my heart as well as my mind, my fear doused and the vapours of anger burning out.

' ** _Even through_** **_your rage, you still find forgiveness, mercy, compassion..._** '

My head twitched at the new voice. It could have been Malice being a twit again, or it could've been my own voice in my head. Either way, it bugged me.

"I'll come quietly." I said, not wanting him to tell me to move. Don't ask me how I knew, but I had a feeling he was taking me to wherever Kodan was. If Kodan himself were retrieving me, it wouldn't be something so important if he didn't feel the need to be there. But he sent one of his men to retrieve me, which meant there was something big going down, something that made him stay wherever he was.

It gave me hope, but at the same time it made me uneasy.

Even though I was turned around, I knew that he still had a blaster pointed at my skull, so I kept my hands on my head the whole time. I didn't know Mandalorians too well, but I knew that if some got a little too 'excited' (or afraid, depending where you stand between Mandalorians or 'non-Mandalorians'), they could get a little trigger-happy if something suddenly happened.

But Mandalorians never exposed their fear. They always kept it contained or covered. There was something up with this particular Mandalorian.

We didn't have to walk far, but it was enough to be a fair distance away from the camp. When we got near the centre of a clearing, I saw literally every Mandalorian from the camp there, and just beyond, two figures; one small, the other quite large. Obviously make and female.

My hopes soared. **Please, let it be them...** I prayed silently.

I jumped slightly as the man who had been trailing behind me shouted, "Kodan! I have her."

I sighed in mock exhaustion. "I have a name, love, mind using it?"

He ignored me and shoved me forward, where I was then grasped by the shoulders and forced ahead.

"I'm betting this is who you're looking for."

I contained an excited gasp as I saw Winter and Canderous. "I'd love to run up and hug one of you's, but you know, I have some nimrod that might have a blaster pointed at me." I shrugged as best as I could, considering I had someone holding my shoulders.

"You've used your bait, so give her back, Kodan." Canderous growled, his voice filled with menace.

"Oh, I bet you want her back." I froze in place when I felt his hand brush at my hair. He leaned down and took a deep breath in. "She's a fine little Zabrak."

Ok, it would be one thing to assume that I'm in a relationship with someone that's in my age-range. But it's definitely another thing when someone assumes that I'm a consort for a man that was over twice my age!

My anger flared, not only at his statement but his actions, and whatever patience I had left had snapped. I used the heel of my boot to smother his foot, and I whipped my head backward, hitting Kodan square in his face. I didn't have any horns directly on the back of my head, but there were horns that I knew had probably grazed him somewhere.

He suddenly released his grip on my shoulders, probably out of shock rather than pain, and I turned around, backing up towards Winter and Canderous. "I ain't a consort! I'm only fifteen, you twit!"

In hindsight, I realize that age never really mattered if an alien were to be a consort, but I was too angry to really think straight.

Kodan stood straight, not caring about the streak of blood that now ran from under his eye. I cringed. **I guess I really** did **hit him hard!**

"Here I thought you worked alone, _ner vod_." I caught onto his _Mando'a_. Brother, is what it meant. I thought it was meant in a less pleasant term, however.

"They helped me get off Taris," he gestured to me, "and she had helped more than once."

I needed to ask Canderous about that when we got back to the _Hawk_.

"A _jetii_ and an alien." Kodan chuckled. "Brought down so low that you would accept help from them."

My anger flared again, but I held my tongue. I had to let them talk this one out.

"These ones have honour, I owe them."

Kodan froze. Mandalorians, I realized, cared very much about the honour that they held, and when one says that an outsider has some form of honour, or even says that they owe them, then some form of respect can be held for that outsider.

I took this pause as an opportunity to speak. "Ok, what is it between the two of you? You are talking like you've known each other for years, and you both have spoken of each other like you have." I paused. "Ok, well you never spoke of Kodan, but when I asked you, you froze up."

Kodan said nothing, but Canderous sighed in what I assumed was surrender. "We _did_ know each other." He looked to Kodan, contempt in his eyes. "But now I'm not so sure."

**He has some form of sentimentality towards him.** I thought. **But he's angry for some reason, perhaps Canderous had been betrayed -**

"He is my brother."

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. "Well, aren't all Mandalorians considered as 'brothers'?"

Canderous looked as if he were about to slap me. "Yes, but Kodan... Is my _brother_."

I paused again, contemplating his words.

**Brother...**

I looked at Kodan, then back to Canderous. They did almost look alike, same features, same attitude. They knew each other very well...

Then it clicked.

"Oh..." I said, my head snapping back to Kodan.

Kodan and Canderous were siblings.

I rubbed at my arm. "Well, this is all awkward..."


	10. Such a Lovely Reunion

"Well, this is all awkward."

Canderous and Kodan... Siblings! I guess I should've seen it coming, but then again, I'm fairly naive in those situations.

Both looked barely the same age, which made things hard to decipher. Kodan obviously was the younger one by several years. In comparison to the crew members on the Hawk, Bastila being the easiest one to compare ages (she was about twenty-seven or so), Kodan was probably in his early to mid-thirties. They both had the same build, however, and they wore the same colours of clothing, probably representing the clan of Ordo.

Now, if their faces weren't a dead giveaway, I wouldn't know what was! They both shared the same sharply angled faces, one having more scars than the other. Well, judging by the blood running under Kodans' eye, he'd be having a new one to show off in a few days.

Their eyes, were what truly gave everything away. Both had diamond/almond shape to them, further accentuating their already angled faces. Canderous' eyes were a steely grey, a colour that unsettled me. Kodans' eyes were a sharper shade of grey, one that reminded you of the calm before the storm, like a hurricane. They downright scared me!

I was snapped out of my revelation by Winter grabbing at my shoulders. "We should probably let these two talk."

I shook her off. "No, I want to hear what these two have to say for themselves!"

Both Mandalorians looked at me. "What?!" They asked in unison.

I pointed an angry finger at Kodan. "You had me almost choked to death, so you owe me an apology!"

I saw Canderous glare at his brother. "Don't be angry at just him Canderous!" I snapped. "Why didn't you say anything about your brother?!"

He shrugged. "You never asked."

I scoffed. "I did too! I straight up asked you if you knew Kodan, and you said 'no'!"

"That's where you're wrong. You never asked if I knew him personally, and I said 'I can't say that I have'."

I took a breath in, ready to make a snarky reply. But none came. My finger waved in the air for a brief moment before I brought it down to cross my arms over my chest. "Touché." I said.

Silence. Again, nothing but that deafening silence, filled the air between us. I hated the silence...

"I would like to talk to Kodan." Canderous handed me back my bow and quiver, which I snatched most gratefully from his hands. "Alone."

I understood that. I nodded, and without any coaxing from Winter, I left the area of the Mandalorian camp.

I heard Winter walk up beside me. "He'll meet us back at the _Hawk_." She told me.

"Great, then I can pound him!" I said unenthusiastically. I wasn't too angry at him, but I still felt the need to punch his arm.

"Are you alright? You know, physically?"

She meant when I had been choked. I chuckled, humourlessly. "Nothing's hurt except for my dignity and my pride."

Winter chuckled along, a sweet smile playing on her lips. Her smile was almost contagious, and I felt one beginning to form on my own lips.

"You have a nice smile." I said, trying to change the subject.

"Thanks."

A wider grin plastered my face. "No wonder why Carth likes you."

Winter tripped over (what I assumed was) a rock. "Excuse me?!" She asked incredulously.

I held back a laugh. "C'mon, love, I'm naive but I ain't stupid. He always smiles when you enter a room or when you talk to him. I don't think he even realizes it himself."

Another sweet smile. "You really think he likes me?"

"Mhm." I looked to her, a mischievous grin on my face. "I also know _you_ like him."

Her white eyebrows raised and her smile disappeared. "I'm not the only one who likes someone."

**Okay, she lost me there.** "Pardon?"

"You and Danny, you seem interested in him."

I made an imitation of vomiting, and she laughed. "You're not the first to suggest that, but no! He and I have been best friends since we were kids!" I explained.

"Alright." She said with a half-shrug. I couldn't help but feel that she was being sarcastic...

/ / /

We arrived at the _Ebon Hawk_ around sunset, the walk taking longer than I expected. I was greeted with a bear-hug as I entered the _Hawk_ , knocking the wind out of my lungs.

"Winter called us with her communicator. Are you alright? What happened?"

I sighed. Sometimes I wished that Mission had an 'off' button.

"Hey, Dan." I said, raising my arm in greeting.

He patted Mission on her shoulder and she released her grip on me. "What happened?" He asked me.

I shrugged. "Just some angry Mandalorians. Nothing too serious."

"Where's Canderous?"

I moaned despairingly. I really didn't want to talk to Carth right at that moment, especially about Canderous.

Luckily, Winter came to my aid. She placed her hands on my shoulders, gently. "Just give her some space, guys. She's been through a lot, and she's probably exhausted."

I suppressed a sigh. **Thank-you!**

I shrugged her off and headed for the women's dorm, with a little blue Twi'lek in tow. "I'll talk to you and Danny when I'm done showering." I said to her.

I could practically feel her grin. "Okay."

Sighing, I slung my quiver off my shoulder and placed it on my bunk, then I proceeded with taking off my heeled boots. I seriously needed to get some armour of some sorts. Just wearing a leather jacket and jeans wasn't exactly bullet proof!

I rubbed at my feet, which were sore and almost blistered. I also needed some comfortable heels to wear.

I walked to the refresher, pulling my hair out of its braid. It cascaded in long, curly lengths down my shoulders. When I closed the door behind me, I finally let that long sigh out, one of sorrow rather than exhaustion.

It had only been a few months, but it had felt like years. I had turned sixteen just a couple of months after arriving on Dantooine, and it made me feel old, somehow. My hair was never cut, only trimmed to keep it neat, and it grew considerably in length. It still had its natural curl, much to my annoyance. Back home, I had short hair so I never had to worry so much about it curling.

I still remembered my old home, my family, my friends. My only concern was that they might not remember me.

I peeled off my leather jacket and my tank top, then I unbuckled my belt and stepped out of my jeans. My jeans almost hardly fit me anymore. I had lost so much weight that I had to tie my belt a couple of notches tighter. Not that I minded, I needed to lose weight anyways, but it just kept reminding me how I was no longer home.

I got out of my remaining clothes and stepped into the shower, turning on the warm water. The showers here were a lot more different than back home. At home, you had knobs and dials to change the temperature of the water, while here you had a type of computer interface where you just had to press a button to change temperature.

I closed my eyes and let the water just come over me. I've always loved water, it was always so calm, so peaceful.

I then remembered how I loved to swim back home, in our pool in the backyard. I would swim for hours, starting from when I finished breakfast to far beyond my bed time. My family saw this as me just enjoying swimming, when there was a more deeper reason for my love of the water.

It always calmed me. The water, when it washed over me in waves, felt like it was cleansing me of my emotions. When I dive under the surface, the water made me feel light, carefree, like it were lifting the massive weight off my shoulders. It made me happy.

Water soothed me, calmed me, comforted me. It did all of these things for me.

I jumped as I heard a knock on the door. "Harmony, you alright? You've been in there for a while!"

I shivered, suddenly, as I felt the cold water rushing over my body. **Sheesh, I guess I was!**

"Yeah, I'll be out in a second, Mish!" Turning off the water, I wrung my hair to let the majority of the water drip out. I pressed another button on the computer and a small door opened to reveal a pile of towels.

I dried myself off then stepped out of the shower, grabbing my pile of clothes. I dressed into my tank top and jeans and then walked out of the 'fresher, still drying off my hair.

Mission was sitting on her bunk playing Pazaak with Danny. I had truly come to love playing the game with my friends, it made things on the ship seem less dull.

Mission and Danny. In the months that we were on Dantooine, they too had grown a fair bit. Danny hadn't changed too much, other than he had grown taller and it looked like his cybernetic implants had been 'tweaked' as I called it, and they looked a little more obvious on his face. He turned eighteen far before I turned sixteen, as I had a later birthday than him. Mission had grown only a wee bit taller, she was now up to my height. If you looked hard enough, you could see that her lekku had grown slightly, as well. She was still only fourteen, but I think she said her birthday was coming up soon.

**Where has the time gone?**

I rooted through my backpack and pulled out one of the hair brushes I found in the 'fresher. When I saw that there was two I quickly swiped one, because if Bastila were in the 'fresher before I was I wouldn't have access to a hair brush for a while!

"Can I do your hair?"

My head snapped up at the sudden question. "Uhh..." I couldn't form any words at that moment, I could only stare at the Twi'lek in confusion.

She sat there with a shy grin on her face. "I've never been able to do a girls hair before, so can I do yours?"

This reminded me of my older sister, Karen. She would always want to do my hair when it was long, and she would bug me until I gave in.

I shrugged. "Well, sure. Why not?"

She excitedly hopped off the bunk and rushed over to mine. We both sat on the bunk, I handed her the brush, and she proceeded to brush it for me.

"So," Danny leaned forward on the bunk. "do you mind telling us what happened? With the Mandalorians?"

I shrugged. "Well, Canderous and Winter had gone into the crystal cave while I stayed outside to guard it. Stupid me, the Mandalorians I had met yesterday just happened to be patrolling that morning as well, and I got kidnapped by one of them."

I then proceeded to tell Mission and Danny the story, right from when I woke up to when Canderous and Winter had found me. I left out the detail of Kodan being Canderous's brother; that wasn't my place to tell them.

Mission whistled. "Wow, I'm surprised they didn't try to hurt you or something! Mandalorians aren't very forgiving, y'know!"

I chuckled humourlessly. "So I've heard."

I felt Mission tie the end-pieces of my hair, and she clapped. "Okay, all done!"

I felt at the back of my head and pulled my hair around my neck so I could see it. It had been done in, what I knew as, a fish-tail braid.

A grin plastered on my face and I turned to Mission. "Where'd you learn to do someone's hair?"

She shrugged. "I learned a few things from some of the Hidden Beks."

I nodded. "You'll have to teach me some of these things, sometime."

Danny coughed, somewhat impatiently. I sighed. "Mission, would you mind..." I made a gesture of moving someone. "Danny would like to talk to me."

She shrugged. "Okay."

Once Mission was out of ear shot, Danny immediately started hounding me with questions. "Okay, something _more_ must've happened when you were going to train with Zhar; what was it? Why did those Mandalorians capture you? What'd you do to anger them in the first place?"

I sighed. "They were just using me as bait, Dan. Kodan wanted to speak with Canderous, for some reason."

Dan, much to my dismay, was smarter than that. "Mhm, I know that part. But how did they even know you in the first place? How did they know that Canderous travelled with you?"

I sighed, raising my hands in surrender. "Fine, you win. On my way to train with Zhar, I ran into a Mandalorian patrol, and when they caught up with me I told them I travelled with Canderous to distract them as well as to buy some time to escape."

Danny nodded. "But that still doesn't explain why Kodan kidnapped you."

I hesitated. It wasn't my place to say who Kodan was, but I also didn't want Danny to think that something was up.

"Kodan needed me as bait to lure Canderous in, but I don't know why." A small white lie. It didn't matter.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Alright, works for me."

I suppressed a sigh of relief. I didn't like lying to my friends, but I kept reminding myself about how some things are best not to be mentioned.

"Just a tip, though," he said, "I think it'd be best if Bastila didn't know about this."

I shrugged, an evil grin spreading on my lips. "Well, chances are that Canderous will be questioned and she'll find out eventually. So it really doesn't matter at this point."

Danny laughed. "Good point."

I laughed along, imagining what Bastila's reaction would be if I told her about what happened.

Speaking of which, where was Bastila?

"Um, where is Bastila, by the way?" I asked Danny, who had managed to calm down. "I thought that she would've made an appearance at some point."

"Dunno, I think she went to talk with the Council about something."

It took me a moment to realize that she probably went to talk with them about Winter. Despite myself, I began to feel angry at them.

Suddenly, an idea came to me. "How's about we have a little fun, Dan?"

Danny paused, then almost look horrified at my suggestion. Sometimes, he just _knew_ what I wanted to do.

/ / /

"If we get caught, you're the first one to go; you know that, right?"

I slapped his arm. "Shut up, don't jinx it!"

We were hiding around the corner from where the Council Room was. Despite the fact that the Jedi Masters would probably sense me because of my Force sensitivity, I just decided that the chances of that happening were low because they were focused on whatever they were discussing.

And that _discussion_ was making me sick!

"We shouldn't have trained her," Vrook snapped, his face contorted with anger. "We risk having her memories coming back-"

Zhar interrupted him quickly. "That is what we want; we need her to remember where the Star Maps are."

"Who's to say that she won't remember being _Revan_?!" Vrook spat the name as if it were a disease.

Bastila then asked, "But didn't you shield those memories?"

A pause, then Vandar spoke up. "Not entirely. You see, Bastila, we couldn't completely shield those memories because it was _Revan_ who found the Star Maps. We have to let some of Revan's memories out if we want to find the location of the Star Forge."

"There is always a risk of her remembering something about being Revan, but the risks are not as great as you may think." Dorak added. "So for now, she is Winter Ramona."

"Hopefully we'll keep it that way." Vrook sneered.

My stomach churned with anger at their discussion. They were using Winter, using her as a tool, as a _pawn_ in their little game.

So perhaps the Jedi are deceptive.

Danny saw that I was getting extremely worked up over this, and tried to convince me to leave. "C'mon, this is getting us nowhere." He placed a hand on my shoulder, which I slapped off.

I flinched as the sound echoed lightly through the Chamber. Zhar looked in our direction and I rapidly shoved Danny back, praying desperately that we hadn't been seen.

"I know you are there, Harmony."

I growled low in my throat. I _really_ needed to learn to block my emotions, better!

Danny looked at me, asking the silent question if we should go.

I stood from my kneeling position on the floor, shaking out my clothes. Letting out a breath, I slowly walked into the Council Chambers with Danny in tow, fear settling low in my stomach.

"I need to work on my stealth a little more." I attempted to lighten my mood with some sarcasm. It worked, if only temporarily.

Vrook looked as if he were ready to murder me. "How much did you hear?!" His voice raised slightly, making me flinch. I looked down to the ground, as if in shame.

I don't like being yelled at. It always makes me feel scared, like I'm lower than everyone else.

"Not too much." I answered quietly, my voice sounding weaker than what I had intended. I quickly gathered my courage and stood a little taller. "But I'm still not too impressed with what I'm hearing."

Danny nudged me a little bit. "I wouldn't suggest picking a fight with adults..."

"Why not?" I snapped. "I'm tired of being the kid!"

I looked back to the Council, a new courage filling my heart. "By doing what you're doing, you have brought yourselves lower than the Sith! By wiping Revan's memories, using her as a pawn, you're worse than any Sith that has ever existed!"

I looked at all of the faces of the Jedi. Bastila was the one who looked as if she were about to vomit. The Jedi Masters had nearly passive faces, aside from Vrook whom looked nearly angry at my statement.

Zhar, he almost looked... _Pleased_ , with my outburst, almost proud. Some part of me believed he knew something I didn't, then again it could just only be my paranoia.

Danny leaned down slightly and whispered, "You've practically just sealed our fate..."

I ignored his comment and continued to glare at the Council. The silence stretched on for what seemed like hours, days, even. Then, Vandar spoke up.

"How much do you both know about Winter?"

"Everything."

Danny finally decided to come out of his shell and speak up. "We know about Bastila and her strike team, how Revan was supposedly killed by the attack. We know you wiped Revans' memories and changed her identity, how you intend to use her memories to find the Star Forge." He shrugged. "And then some."

The Council now looked unsure of themselves. Again, save for Master Zhar. **What does he know that he's not sharing?**

"She is obviously too dangerous to let her go with them," Vrook said, looking at me with a sneer, "she could be a risk to the mission."

I scoffed. "Listen, I have a big mouth, but I know when to keep it shut. I know that if I were to let something slip, I could, and will, change the destiny of the entire galaxy."

Everyone hesitated, unsure of how to respond.

_**Continue, Harmony. Let your voice be heard.** _

I looked surprisingly to Master Zhar, who nodded in encouragement. I'd have to ask him how to do that, later.

I took a breath and continued. "Listen, the best that Danny and I can do is promise not to say anything to anyone. Now all you have to do is _trust_ that we keep our promise."

"I already trust you, Harmony."

Again, Master Zhar surprised me with yet another comment. The other Jedi Masters looked somewhat confused at his quick decision.

"Explain, Master Zhar." Vandar said.

"She is a headstrong child, yes, but she also has a quality of wisdom that should be beyond her age and beyond her knowledge." He nodded to me. "I have trained her in secret these past few months, and she has mastered controlling her Force abilities very well. She has control over her mind, her body, and her own soul. If she can control that, then she can control her own words."

I looked to my Master. I gave him a look that asked him; 'are you sure?'.

_**I may be rebuked for what I did, but you need not to worry.**_ He smiled slightly, reassuringly, and I nodded.

Surprise, disapproval, anger, those were all seen on the faces of these Jedi. I held back a chuckle. As far as controlling your emotions went, these Jedi were doing a poor job of it!

Several moments of silence passed and Danny and I were both shifting uncomfortably. Each of the Masters, even Bastila, were looking amongst each other as if waiting for some sort of statement or request. They were probably having some sort of mental conversation between one another.

"Very well." Vandar said, looking up at me. "Harmony, and Danny, we don't know how much you know of Revan, but we are willing to trust that you will not reveal anything to her, or to anyone else while you travel with them."

I released a breath I didn't know I was holding, even Danny seemed relieved!

"Thank you, Master Vandar." I bowed slightly, Danny nodded his thanks.

' _You played your cards just right._ Just _._ '

I ignored Her nagging voice as best as I could.

Taking the silence as my cue, I gestured for Danny to start leaving, walking just a few steps ahead of him before he finally clued in.

It took me a lot of effort to just keep up with his pace, but I tried not to show any sort of exhaustion. "That was easy." He muttered.

"A little too easy for my tastes." I replied.

"You're paranoid."

"I'm paranoid, and proud of it. It keeps me alive."

He did not bother with a reply, knowing that trying to touch the subject of my paranoia would get us nowhere.

I walked faster, suddenly realizing that it was almost completely dark outside. I didn't like staying in the dark; it ate at me, always making me think that I was being watched. It... Unsettled me.

I just needed to avoid the dark.

/ / /

I turned over onto my stomach. Then my side, then back to my stomach, then directly on my back. I sighed, careful not to make such a noise that I woke up everyone else.

Winter said that we had to wait for Canderous to get back before we left, and by the time he did get back it was extremely late and everyone was tired, so Winter said we'd sleep it off before leaving for Korriban.

For some reason, I just couldn't sleep. There was just _something_ in the back of my mind that told me something wasn't right. It was my gut talking to me, and I never ignored my gut!

I sat up, rubbing the fatigue out of my eyes. Grabbing my throwing knife from under my pillow (yes, I slept with knives under my pillow) I went towards the Cargo Hold. I needed something to eat if I ever wanted to get to sleep. And when people were tired they had a hard time peeling off the protective covering over the food, so that was the reason for the knife.

First time I heard the noise, I thought it was just me, so I kept on walking. But then I heard it a second time, and then I sharpened my senses.

Sneaking through the darkened corridor, I stifled a gasp as I saw a massive figure in the Main Hold. Panic settled in my chest, causing my hand to shake almost uncontrollably. I couldn't call out or I would probably wind up dead if he had a blaster.

My insanity (not sanity, because this action was anything but sane) drove me forward, quietly stepping on the tips of my toes. Using the benches as a support, I hauled myself up and forward, and onto the back of the man.

Nothing short of a startled grunt escaped his mouth, as I had wrapped my one free arm around his neck, increasing the pressure as best as I could. I wrapped my legs along his waist to support myself and avoid slipping off of him.

I brought my knife up to his throat, where my arm wasn't already covering. "One wrong move and I cut you a good one!"

He didn't seem to care. Turning around so my back was to the wall, he rapidly moved backwards and sent us crashing into the wall, knocking the wind out of me.

A wheeze escaped my lips and I saw stars in front of my eyes, but I kept my grip on him. I let go of his waist and brought up my feet, kicking against the wall. We flung forward and into the map. He grabbed my shoulders and sent me crashing into the nearby wall.

"Kid, knock it off!" I heard him wheeze out.

Adrenaline fuelling my actions, I rapidly stood with my knife at the ready and faced my attacker.

"It's me!"

It took me a moment to realize who it actually was, and when I did I threw my knife down in frustration. "Damn it all to hell, Kodan!" I shrieked, no longer caring if I woke anyone else up. "This is why you don't sneak around like some freak in the dark! You gave me a bloody heart attack, you ass!"

I broke down, all of that fear and adrenaline suddenly draining from me as I slumped against the wall and sobbed. "Don't do that again!"

"Harmony, what's wrong?!"

Carth and Canderous came running into the Main Hold, and the women weren't too far behind. Carth had his blaster already pointed at Kodan, almost ready to shoot him if he had to. Canderous kneeled down and grasped my shoulders, firmly shaking them. "Did he hurt you."

"No," I managed to get out, "but he gave me a bloody heart attack."

Sighing, Canderous stood up and tried to pry the blaster from Carth. "You can put it down, Republic."

"Like hell I am!"

I heard Juhani growl at the sight of another Mandalorian, her lightsaber humming quietly.

Sniffling and wiping the last of my tears, I grabbed my knife and I shakily stood from my spot on the floor. "Canderous, you _better_ explain yourself before I cut your eyes out!" I pointed accusingly at Kodan. "What is _he_ doing here?" I hissed out.

"The same reason any of us are here, kid." He replied cryptically.

I caught onto his statement immediately. "You idiot!" I gestured around me. "It was totally a good idea to bring another Mandalorian along when nearly half of our crew already hates you!"

"We need the manpower."

I shook my head at him. I couldn't disagree with him, we could use some extra help, but he should've at least informed one of us about Kodan coming along.

"Carth, he's fine; put the blaster down."

Carth didn't relent. It wasn't until Winter walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder that he lowered his arm. Juhani, after a brief hesitation, deactivated her lightsaber.

Seeing that everyone was finally calm, I nodded to the two brothers. "Now, while you introduce yourself to the rest of the crew, I'm going to go back to bed."

I wasn't even halfway down the corridor when I heard the loud protests and exclamations from everyone. Primarily Bastila, Juhani, and Carth.

Flopping (literally _flopping_ ) onto my bunk, I rolled the sheets around my body and curled the pillow around my ears.

This was going to be a _very_ interesting journey.


	11. Darkness and Honour

Truth be told, I had a feeling that Canderous would've at least told Kodan where we were going, but I wouldn't have even thought that he would invite him along.

Then again, not that I truly minded, neither did Danny or Mission, even Zalbaar didn't mind. Winter didn't seem to mind too much, either. The rest of the crew, however, I could not speak for.

The air in the _Ebon Hawk_ would be so stale with tension it sometimes felt that I couldn't even move through the air, let alone breathe in it! Juhani already had a hard time tolerating Canderous, having Kodan on the ship made things ten times worse! The same went for Carth, although he was less hostile than Juhani. Bastila was calm and collected around the two Mandalorians, but the instant that Kodan was the one to call her 'Princess', she freaked out!

And here I thought the _adults_ were supposed to be the mature ones, and not the kids.

Regardless of said situations; despite that things were tense at first I got along quite well with Kodan. He was a lot like Canderous in a sense, although Canderous had a little more respect for others.

I had gotten my pocket knives back from Kodan, which was helpful with 'breaking the ice'. I had also apologized for the cut that I had given him on his eye and he said that it made us pretty much even. As the days passed as we travelled to Korriban, I felt as if we were becoming good acquaintances; I don't say 'friends' because even Kodan didn't consider us as such. Mandalorians could be stubborn that way.

As we neared Korriban, tensions ran very high because we were close to getting off the ship and away from everyone else, but not close enough. I personally tried to avoid the 'infected' people and tried to stay with the ones who weren't too 'infected' with the 'proximity disease', as I called it; where someone is irritated and annoyed and if you got too into their personal 'bubble', they'd yell or snap at you.

So I spent most of my time either in the Dorms with Danny and Mission, or in the Garage with Canderous and Kodan.

Right now, we were but an hour away from reaching Korriban. I decided to stay in the Garage, because most of the crew tended to stay away from where the Mandalorians were, and I needed my space.

Canderous was working on the Swoop Bike in the Garage, cursing foully every now and again after getting covered in oil or grease. Kodan was fixing an armour of some kind, although to me it almost looked too small for a man his size.

I was thinking. A lot. Zhar had warned me to stay away from darker places, as they were where Her presence was a lot more powerful as well as dangerous. Korriban was one such place, a place of darkness.

I didn't want to stay cooped up in the ship for goodness-knew-how-long, but I also didn't want to run the risk of... Well, anything, really. I wasn't too knowledgeable on what Malice could do and I wasn't too keen on finding out, either.

I wasn't strong enough to handle Her but I felt wise enough to know the differences between right and wrong. Although I did have certain impulses that made my appearance as an obedient 'angel' questionable.

**Strength versus Knowledge. Need versus Want. Freedom versus Wisdom. Either way, I lose something, don't I?**

"Kid!"

My eyes blinked slowly, my mind crawling from darkness to light, subconsciousness to consciousness. I looked up from the floor, my mind slowly coming back to reality. "Hm, yes?"

Kodan looked at me with a blank expression. "You're not a very good listener, are you?"

I paused, slowly coming to the conclusion that he had probably been calling for me a few times. I shrugged and replied sarcastically, "Naw, I only listen when I want to."

He chuckled. "Fair enough." He gestured for me to go over to him and I listened, getting up from my spot on the floor and walking over to the workbench. Kodan pointed to the armour that he had been working on.

"You know what this is?"

I hesitated, unsure as to if it was a trick question or not. "Armour?" I asked, looking at him from the corner of my eye. I saw him roll his eyes slightly. "Yes, but do you know what it is?"

I hesitated again, then Canderous chipped in. "He wants you to examine the thing, kid."

I shrugged. "Oh, well, he could've told me that himself."

I looked at the armour again, this time more closely, touching the cold surface of it. There were some blue tints and shades on some areas of the armour. I experimentally dug my thumbnail into the metal, grinding it on the surface. I picked it up, testing the weight of it. I took note that the armour came in four separate pieces; one whole chest piece, which had a break in the upper portion of the torso and had metal coverings for the shoulders, biceps, and forearms; two gloves, the metal covering mainly the back of the hand and the fingers, but not the knuckles or palms; and a whole lower piece which had metal covering the front and back of the thighs and calves, but not covering the knees.

"Mandalorian armour," I said, placing the armour back on the workbench. "It has a very light weight which means it's meant for minor fights and skirmishes, but not for battle or war." I pointed at the tough black material that covered the unprotected areas of the legs, arms, and hands. "This allows for plenty of dexterity as well as minor protection, so the armour is not too constricting for the wearer, and the metal wasn't built to deflect rifle or sniper shots, but more or so blaster shots and swords, which means that this armour was meant more for close combat, more specifically melee fighters." I gestured at the chest piece. "The break in the upper torso of the chest piece means that this armour is meant for a more prominent female figure."

I looked up to Kodan, who wore a slightly shocked yet amused expression. "And you've never studied weaponry or armoury?"

"What, did Canderous tell you that?"

"No, you just don't look like the violent type."

I had nearly taken that as an insult and was about to retaliate, but then I realized what he had meant. "Well, no, I didn't exactly grow up in a battle or war culture like you and Canderous did."

"Fair enough." Kodan picked up the chest piece. "Put it on."

I did a double take. "Pardon?"

"Put it on." He repeated.

I looked at the armour, to Kodan, to Canderous (who seemed to be oblivious to the whole scene), then back to the armour. I shrugged slightly. "Alright."

I took the chest piece, bottom piece, and gloves. "You may want to remove the jacket," Kodan said, "the pants will also get in the way, so you'll need some tight fitting pants at some point, or another."

I shrugged, moving out of the Garage to head for the Engine Room. "I'll be back; I just need some privacy."

Closing the door to the Engine Room, I took off my leather jacket and pulled off my wedge heels and jeans, tossing them all onto a pile. I took the bottom piece, first, looking to see if there were any zippers or buckles. Upon seeing none, I stepped into the pants, pulling them up and over my legs and hips. It was somewhat form fitting, but they were comfortable (for the most part).

Next came the chest piece. There were also no buckles or zippers on it, so I immediately tossed it over my head, careful as to not catch the black material on my horns. My arms slipped into the sleeves with ease, it was getting the torso to slide on properly that was the issue. I tugged on the torso, pulling it down so it would fit accordingly. **That's probably what Kodan was trying to 'adjust' on this thing...** I thought, uncomfortably shifting the upper portion of the torso. **I didn't think my chest was** that **big, but I guess it is.**

I then pulled on the gloves, flexing my hands to see if they were too tight or loose. They fit perfectly!

I proceeded to check the rest of my armour, readjusting the metal on my arms and shoulders so they were in their proper places. The metal on the pants did not need too much readjustments, as the metal covered both front and back portions of the thighs and calves.

I moved around in the armour, stretching, crouching, even just swinging my arms around; it didn't pinch, it didn't chafe (thank goodness), it didn't even grind harshly on my skin!

Despite myself, I couldn't help but become excited. The armour was a perfect fit!

I gathered my clothes and rushed out of the Engine Room, excited to show Kodan and Canderous.

"-she's then illegitimate!"

I stopped as soon as I heard Kodans' voice raise, wondering what he was so upset about. Dropping my clothes off to the side, I silently walked closer to the Garage, my curiousness now taking over.

I heard Canderous snap back, although with a little more restraint, "She is not; remember what I told you about Veela?"

**Veela? Veela Ordo? So she's real...** I made a mental note of that for later.

"Yes, but think about it; if the clan knew of her, they wouldn't believe her to be your next of kin, they'd believe she were not of your blood. You're human, she's not!"

Why did I have the growing feeling that they were talking about me? I knew it was rude to even eavesdrop, let alone make such judgments, but my instinct never lied. Most of the time.

When Canderous didn't respond, Kodan took that as an opportunity to continue. "Ordo will likely see her as an adopted child, and that's not looked down upon, but the adoption of an alien is not something that is favoured amongst Mandalorians."

This situation was now growing increasingly creepy. The more that they said, the more that it somehow related to me.

"I know!" Canderous finally snapped, and I heard him slam down a tool that he was probably using. "Why do you think Veela and I gave her up? We know that aliens are not favoured among Mandalorians! She was... _Is_ , our only child; it was a hard decision for us to make!"

Silence stretched on for what seemed like an eternity, and I almost took that as my cue to walk in. Until Kodan spoke again.

"Either way, brother, it's best that she doesn't become aware of any of this. Don't even tell her any more of your 'stories'; Harmony is a bright girl as well as curious, she'll ask enough questions and wind up making you say something you shouldn't."

I didn't know why, but hearing my name be spoken after such a conversation caused my heart to race, my hands to shake, my head to spin. **Breathing, shallow, rough, can't breathe, can't think...**

Almost as soon as the panic attack set in, so had my anger. I hated being left out of something that seemed important, I _despised_ it!

Without hardly thinking, I strode in confidently, my head held high. "What shouldn't I be aware of?" I asked, my voice much more hostile than I had intended.

Both Mandalorians froze, with fear, perhaps. Canderous sighed heavily. "How much did you hear, kid?"

I crossed my arms defiantly. "Right from when Kodan said something about someone being 'illegitimate'." I shrugged. "He wasn't too hard to hear, either. Loud as hell."

Kodan rolled his eyes and scoffed, Canderous just continued to look at me, almost apologetically. "Well, if you heard that much, you deserve to know-"

"Guys, we'll reach Korriban in the next half-hour." Danny said, casually strolling into the Garage. "So, if you have stuff you want to get together, do it now!"

Danny stopped as he noticed all of our eyes were on him, almost glaring at him. He then noticed my armour.

"Wow! That looks great, Harmony!" He said, a smile breaking out on his face. I smiled back. "Thanks." I gestured to Kodan. "Kodan fixed it up and he's letting me use it."

"That's great!" He gave me a thumbs up, then left.

The air around us soon shifted back to being filled with tension. "'Half-hour'." I repeated, pulling up a Cylinder. "Enough time to explain things."

Canderous and Kodan looked between each other. I chuckled, grimly. "Yeah, no, you ain't getting out of this one too easily, mates!"

Kodan sighed and sat on the workbench, Canderous just sat where he was on the Swoop, wiping off the grease on his hands with a rag. Canderous was stalling, I could tell, but I also understood that this could be a hard topic for him to discuss, I didn't want to rush him too much.

Without even looking at me, Canderous asked me, "Do you know about Veela Ordo?"

I shrugged. "A bit. I've heard about her, here and there." I then added, "and judging by how you addressed her and how you talked about her to Kodan, I'm going to say she's your wife."

"Yeah, you're right." He tossed the rag onto the seat of the Swoop, crossing his arms and staring at the floor for a few brief moments. "She was born of a family that has a recessive gene, an alien gene."

I paused, trying to link together what he was saying. As much as I was smart, I could be naïve if I wanted to be (even if I didn't want to). "But she's human; this isn't explaining anything, Canderous."

He put up a hand and looked at me fiercely. "Let me finish!" My mouth shut with an audible _clack_ , and I breathed deeply.

"When I met Veela, we were both fairly young." He shrugged. "I'll make a long story short; we met, trained together, fought together, and eventually we married." He chuckled dryly. "She didn't tell me about her family until sometime after our marriage."

I nodded. Mandalorians didn't have large ceremonies like regular people did: almost every affair was considered private, including marriage. I didn't find it too surprising that they suddenly just married. I also wasn't surprised that Veela didn't tell Canderous too much about her personal life.

He continued, his steely-grey eyes betraying no emotion as he spoke. "She and I weren't especially worried, as the gene was recessive and rare in her family. It wasn't until we had a child that that gene decided to make an appearance."

My blood ran almost ice cold as he spoke his next words. "Our first child was Zabrak. You were Zabrak."

My arms fell to my sides and my eyes searched his for any sign of jest or... Something! Not the seriousness that they withheld!

He swallowed hard. "We didn't realize it until you got a little older, and horns started appearing on your head. Then we knew."

Good god, I was gaining a panic attack from all of this. I almost felt as if I was ready to yell, to cry, to do anything, but I couldn't do anything.

"Aliens are not too favoured among Mandalorians, and we both realized that to keep you safe we had to... Give you up, in a manner of speaking." It almost looked as if tears were actually forming in his eyes, or they could just have been glassy. I couldn't hardly tell.

"So, we went to Taris; Veela had some relatives living in the Lower City. She told them about you, and they agreed to take care of you." He took a deep, although shaky, breath. Then, finally, he looked me in the eye. "I stayed behind, to make sure you stayed safe."

He stopped, then, still looking at me, as if _daring_ me to say or do something. My mouth opened, but nothing short of a small squeak came out. I closed my mouth, my lower lip starting to quiver.

"A year..."

"What?"

"A year!" I snapped, forcing myself not to yell or shout so I wouldn't attract unwanted attention. "Nearly a whole damned, bloody year, and you didn't bother to say anything!?"

He straightened his posture on the Swoop. "What would you expect? Me coming up to you and saying, 'hey, I'm your dad who left you for seven years'?!"

I paused. "'Seven years'?"

Canderous hesitated, and Kodan scoffed slightly. I snapped my head to him, my lips turned up in a snarl. "You got something to say, love?"

He raised an eyebrow at me, almost judging me. "You're saying that you don't remember even flashes of this?"

Canderous stood up, walking over to his brother. "She was hit on the head. Hard. She probably has some long-term memory loss."

The rest of their conversation, if they were even still talking, went right over my head. I couldn't hear them over the deafening sound of my own thoughts.

**But I have my real parents, don't they still count? And the whole alien-child thing doesn't make sense! Veela was human, or was described as such; Olive skin, pale eyes, dark hair. The skin colour is close to Zabrak, so is the eye colour, but that doesn't account for anything!**

My hands clawed at my hair, the tears flowing freely from my eyes. **It doesn't make sense! I am from another world with another history, and yet I'm also from this world with a history? How? Dammit, if Canderous had told me sooner I wouldn't be so bloody confused!** My silent tears turned to quiet sobs.

**Why?! Is this some trick that Malice wanted to play on me? Did She somehow wipe my memories? If I was given up seven years ago, that would've meant I was nine or ten; how can't I remember all of this?!**

My mind was rushing with thoughts, theories, questions, all without answers or solutions. It made me frustrated, it made me angry. I couldn't hardly concentrate on one thought.

A gentle, but firm, hand touched my shoulder and I sniffled, looking up at the face of Canderous. I sniffled again, wiping the tears that refused to stop flowing. "So, that's why you were so gentle with me the first while? Because I was your kid?"

He shrugged. "More or less."

I paused, looking over to Kodan. "So... Kodan's my Uncle?" I asked with a small look of disbelief on my face.

Kodan suddenly burst out laughing, and Canderous chuckled. "That he is."

Another thought flashed through my mind, briefly. "Did either of you come from force-sensitive family?"

They both paused, one looking more worried than the other. Kodan shrugged, and Canderous cleared his throat. "I wouldn't know." His eyes narrowed at me. "Why would you ask that?"

I swallowed, now regretting even asking the question. "Uh..." I couldn't speak. I knew that Mandalorians weren't to favourable of Jedi or Sith, and they considered anyone using the Force to be one or the other.

I sighed, coming to the conclusion that it would be best if he knew anyways. I looked over to the Swoop, noting that he had left a Hydrospanner on the floor. "Y'know I hate it when you don't clean up in here..." I muttered.

Standing from the container I was sitting on, I raised my hand, focusing my thoughts and feelings onto the tool, thinking about the weight of it, the texture, the smell of the metal. It slowly lifted into the air. To be sure I did not lose concentration, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, focusing on nothing but the Hydrospanner. I imagined it attached to a string, with me pulling it closer and closer.

I nearly flinched as cold metal contacted with my fingers, slowly sliding into my hand. Closing my fingers around the handle, I brought myself back into the world, opening my eyes and taking deep breaths.

I looked to Canderous, handing him the Hydrospanner. "Do put this away."

Canderous looked as if he were about to faint, Kodan looked as if he were about to break my neck.

" _Jetii_..." He sneered.

My eyes widened and I raised my hands. "No, no, no, I'm not! I control the Force, but I'm no Jedi or Sith!"

"Anyone who uses that black magic is either Jedi or Sith, do not lie-"

"Lightsaber."

Both Kodan and I paused, looking at Canderous with confused faces.

He shrugged. "She doesn't have a Lightsaber. If she was Jedi, she'd have one. She didn't have one on Taris, she doesn't have one now."

I pointed to Canderous. "What he said."

"But she must've learned from somewhere." Kodan stated, looking to me with a piercing gaze.

I nodded. "Yeah, I was taught by one of the Jedi Masters, so then I could have a better harness of the Force." I then added, "But that's all."

The two brothers looked between one another, as if having a mental debate with each other. I waited patiently, silently praying that I would be shown some form of compassion from them both, something that Mandalorians were not known for.

I saw Kodans' eyebrows raise briefly and Canderous sighed, either annoyed by or agreeing with his brother. "You're not _Jetii_?" He asked while looking away from Kodan.

I shrugged. "Would you think less of me even if I were?"

He shook his head. "No."

We both looked to Kodan expectantly, to which he sighed. "Alright. But I do think it would be best that nobody else knows about..." He gestured to the three of us. "This."

I raised my hands. "Oi, I've kept the secret that I'm Force Sensitive for this long, I'm certain I can keep this..." I gestured between us as he did. "A secret as well."

Kodan snorted slightly, rustling my hair with his hand. I flinched as if he had slapped me. "Just don't touch my hair."

They both laughed and I chuckled.

"I better get my stuff together." I said, quickly excusing myself from the Garage.

When my back was turned to them, a huge smile plastered onto my face. I felt as if, after that whole ordeal, there was a new amount of trust between the three of us.

As a family.

/ / /

I was, as somewhat expected, the last one to enter the Main Hold. I wasn't one for being late, but for some reason I was tardy when it came to meeting up with the crew. Not that anyone really minded, except for Bastila who was always punctual and expected others to be as such.

I looked around as all of their eyes turned to me. I shrugged sheepishly. "Well, you guys didn't have to wait for me; it's not my fault."

Winter chuckled, shaking her head at me. "So, we need a plan for when we get to Korriban."

"Perhaps I should accompany you on this journey." Bastila said. "No telling when you might need my help."

Carth interluded. "I don't think that's a good idea. You know, with a Sith dominated planet."

"Yeah," I chirped in, "not very many know your face, but with the _Force_..."

For once Bastila didn't disagree with me. "Yes, you do have a point. Then it is best that I stay here on the ship so we don't get caught."

Danny quickly added, "But what about Carth? He's basically 'poster boy' for the Republic!"

For whatever reason, everyone then looked at me. I shrugged. "It's not unheard of for a Republic Soldier to _turn_. Besides, men can easily change how they look with a quick hair cut or something."

"That might not cut it, though." Dan said.

Winter sighed. "Look, I've made up my mind on who I want to come with me."

We all stayed quiet, then, waiting for her to continue. "Canderous and Kodan. They're Mandalorians, but it's not unheard of for Mandalorians to be hired as muscle or mercenary work."

My hopes both rose and sunk. They rose because I decreased any risk of Malice making an appearance, but they also sunk because I was basically ripped of a chance to go on an adventure.

I looked at Danny and Mission, who both shrugged. I shrugged back. **Her decision, I guess.**

"And the rest of us?" Juhani asked.

"Stay on the ship, explore the planet, doesn't truly matter." Winter replied. "Just try not to get caught or make it obvious that you're Jedi or Republic Soldiers."

I smiled then.

"Alright, let's see what's in store for us." Winter said, heading for the Ramp of the _Hawk_ , Canderous and Kodan following close behind her.

I dashed for the Dorms, eager to get off the ship. I already had my personal items ready, but I wanted to explore. And that meant I had to be not so recognizable.

Grabbing some items from my pack (formerly called the back pack), I headed straight for the 'fresher. Placing the items on the sink, I took my hair out of its usual braid, allowing it to fall around my shoulders and quickly brushing through it.

I took a sash I had borrowed from Juhani and tied my hair into a high pony-tail. I smiled, despite the style not being much it made me look more badass compared to a braid, which made me look like a school girl.

I then looked at the face paints. I had acquired the face paints when I had discovered that some of the fruits could be made into a type of paste. Upon experimenting, I found that when the paste was mixed with water they could make for great paint!

Taking my fingers, I started dipping them in the two available colours of black, and gold. Using the markings on my face as guidelines, I started applying the colours, using black as the outline and gold as the filler.

I washed the colours off my hands, watching as they mixed and swirled down the drain. Looking up into the mirror, I nearly screamed as I jumped back.

My reflection didn't dare move.

I glared at Her, mentally slapping myself as I saw Her change in appearance.

Malice smiled, cocking her head to the side. **Dammit, she took the hair style too!**

"I'm liking the style, Harmony." She said, touching her new hair.

I sneered. "You do enough by haunting my dreams, you don't have to haunt my life!"

She laughed. "Oh, but where is the fun in that?"

I was about to retort when I heard someone enter the 'fresher. My head darted to the sound, and I saw Mission come in.

"Woah, that looks cool! Where'd you get the tattoos? And I love your hair!"

She continued to make comments on my new appearance, and I stole a look back into the mirror. It was just me, looking as confused as ever.

Sighing, I grabbed my items and placed them into my pack. If Malice was going to continue with this unneeded activity, I would literally shoot myself if that meant She would leave me alone.

/ / /

The air of Korriban hit me harder than when Kodan had crushed me against the wall. Literally, the air just hit me! It was so stale, filled with the smells of industrialization, sweat, fear, even death.

Perhaps that was just the aura of the planet but either way, it was basically choking me.

I passed the Twi'lek without hassle, probably because I came from the same ship that Winter did. I gave him a small nod and he returned it, and then I passed along.

As I got closer and closer to Dreshedae, I continued to feel more and more anxious about things that could happen. I was a girl. Correction, girl Zabrak. As far as I knew aliens weren't treated with too much respect, aside from Yuthura Ban who was Twi'lek. But she was also within a position of power amongst the Sith, so she _had_ to be respected.

I was merely another 'hopeful' as far as anyone on this planet was concerned. As far as I knew, the Sith had no laws or rules here, they wouldn't have any respect for a female alien. Twi'leks also were far more common than any other alien on Dreshedae, so I'd probably have men coming at me left-and-right.

Or they'd leave me alone. I truly didn't know, but I was merely running the worst case scenarios through my head. I had a pretty vivid imagination, so some things seemed somewhat worse than what they could turn out to be.

The one thing I had to remember to do; keep quiet and don't act like a bitch. As long as I kept a low profile, nothing bad would happen (probably).

I passed by the Rodian at the kiosk, and he gave me a small nod. I returned it, albeit tensely. Lashowe and her two goons weren't there, so that meant that Winter had already passed by the lot (thankfully, as I wasn't in the mood to deal with those types of people).

The first place I would go to was the Cantina; what better place to get to know the locals than at a Bar? I mentally scoffed. **Yeah, the locals who were there to get drunk and get laid.** It wasn't my smartest move but it was still my only move, unless you counted the Sith Academy (which I wasn't even planning on going near).

The Bouncer didn't even give me a second glance (or a first glance, for that matter) and I walked into the Cantina.

You know how when you enter a steaming hot car and you're hit with the heat when you open the door? Well, that's what happened when I entered the Cantina. Only it wasn't heat that hit me, it was the horrible smells of alcohol, drugs, smoke, and a small side of body odour.

My asthma wasn't kicking in, miraculously enough, when I smelled the drugs and smoke. I could still breathe well enough that I wasn't coughing or feeling strain or tightening in my lungs. So, I continued to walk into the Cantina, not daring to look anyone in the eyes as to avoid conflict.

I picked a seat that was farthest away from the majority of the locals, sitting myself down and taking out the Pazaak deck that I had borrowed from Mission. As long as I kept quiet and to myself, nobody would even think about bothering me.

Or, so I had thought.

I'm not sure if it was because of my species, my face paints, or whatever, but I had attracted the attention of at least one male within the Cantina. I had cringed internally when I had felt his presence beside me.

Most human (or alien) presence was warm. Not this time. His presence was as cold as ice. His voice almost matched the aura that he presented.

"Take a wrong turn somewhere, darling?"

I rolled my eyes, biting back a growl. "I don't need a map to know where I'm going, mate." I replied dryly.

"Well, with a woman like you in a dump like this-"

I wasn't about to take the crap he was giving me. Slapping my Pazaak deck onto the table, I sighed. "Listen, I dunno who you are and I personally don't care, but you best -"

I paused as my eyes fell onto his face. It took a brief moment, only brief, but I immediately recognized the boy. It put me into almost immediate shock.

A dark eyebrow raised slyly and a cold smirk played on his lips. "Well then, allow me to introduce myself."

He took my free hand (most gently) and brought it to his lips, his hazel eyes never leaving my own. "Dustil Onasi."

I prayed most desperately that that burning sensation on my face wasn't a blush as I slipped my hand from his. "Harmony Velo."

Another cold smile. "Pleased to meet you."

"Mm." Was the only word I could muster. His name continued to ring through my head, all surrounding one thought.

**What will Carth say?**

I wasn't sure if Carth knew that his son was on Korriban, yet, but I also didn't know if Carth would even want to know about his son up at this point.

I was snapped out of my thoughts by his cold voice. "So, what brings you to Dreshedae?"

I shrugged, gaining back my uncaring demeanour. "Same thing as everyone else, I suppose."

"So you're just another hopeful?"

Another shrug. "You could say that."

I heard him chuckle. "And here I thought you were already part of the Academy."

"Never judge a book by its cover." I muttered under my breath, shuffling my Pazaak deck.

"You play?"

"Occasionally."

He pulled out his own Pazaak deck, smirking slyly. "Care to play a few rounds?"

I gestured to the seat across from me and I dealt out my own cards, placing four in front of me. "Republic Senate rules or are we gambling?"

He quickly shuffled his own deck and dealt his cards. "You have credits?"

I flipped a few chips, worth about fifty total credits, onto the table. I had earned that amount when I was playing Pazaak at the local Cantina on Dantooine. Mission had taught me a few tips, some of them I already knew, and I won a few rounds against a Rodian.

Dustil placed his own credit chips on the table. "Let's play."

/ / /

I placed my 5+ card down, smiling like a cat who had just eaten a canary. "Twenty."

Dustil slapped his cards onto the table in frustration, having already lost seven rounds. I chuckled. "So much for your gamblers luck."

His eyes gleamed with inner rage at my jest. "One more round."

Again I chuckled. "You're broke, mate." I said, gesturing to the pile of credit chips at my side. "What else have you got to gamble?"

This time he chuckled. "I have this." He pulled out what looked to be a medallion, one I instantly recognized as a Sith Medallion. "If you lose, I get every last credit chip that you earned. If you win, you get into the Academy."

The small group of people that had gathered around us started to fill with small whispers, some distinguishable others not so much. I paused, running the scenarios through my head. **I have about one-thousand credits worth of chips and yet I started out with fifty. It may not be too great of a loss but still. And a way into the Academy...**

I smiled deviously. "Bring it on, mate."

Dustil smiled, nearly placing the medallion down on the table. He was stopped by a hand being placed on his shoulder. We both looked up and saw the arm belonged to a woman. Blonde, ice eyes, slender figure. I thought I recognized her, but her name wasn't something I could place.

"I don't think that's a good idea. Losing a medallion over a Pazaak game, one she's going to win, isn't wise."

I held back a gasp as I recognized her voice.

"You may have a point Lashowe." Dustil agreed.

"What makes you so certain that I'll win?" I asked her, leaning back casually.

She looked straight at me, making me shift in my seat. "You have the Force. Not only that, but you have a talent of perception and awareness. You know when to gamble, you know when to lay back."

"Could just be pure chance."

She nodded. "Could be. But I doubt 'pure chance' let's you win several games in a row."

I didn't have an argument for that, so I kept silent.

"Besides, I doubt you're truly worthy of this medallion." She quipped.

"Oh really?" I asked, not daring to blink. "What is your definition of 'worth' then?"

"She means through combat, darling." Dustil chuckled. "You have a Force perception, but are you good in combat?"

"Better than you, I gamble."

The crowd around us went dead silent at my statement. Dustils eyes narrowed ever so slightly and he leaned forward, his voice dipped to a threatening tone. "Is that a challenge?"

"It can be."

We stayed like that for several moments, not daring to break eye contact. He suddenly flicked the medallion at me and it rolled in front of me. I grabbed it, despite my confusion. "Why give it to me now?"

"You get in the Academy, where we can fight. You win, you stay. You lose, you die and I earn back the medallion." He said, his voice unwavering.

"What makes you think I'll even come?"

"Unless you want me to kill you now."

A statement, I realized. I was about to retaliate until Lashowe suddenly interrupted.

"Just kill her now and save yourself the trouble! She may be smart but she's no warrior," She spat at him. "She won't even last more than a few seconds!"

She wasn't wrong for the most part, but for whatever reason her final statement made my blood boil and my eyes burn with inner rage. I suddenly stood up, slamming my hands onto the Pazaak table. "Care to test me?" I hissed.

Dustil appeared to be almost uncomfortable between the two of us, almost seeming as if he were shrinking in his seat.

Lashowe scoffed. "I'm not going to bother with you. You're not worthy of my time."

All thoughts of rage left my mind. It was pure silence, and then there was a voice.

**_'Prove it.'_ **

Using the table for leverage I catapulted myself at Lashowe, kicking her square in her stomach, sending her crashing into the bar behind her. Somehow I had missed Dustil, whom I later deducted had either dodged or ducked out of my way.

Right then I didn't care. The crowd that had surrounded us had spread wider and those two words continued to echo in my mind as I lunged at the blonde Sith, clamping my hands on her shoulders and slamming her into the bar.

Using one hand to hold her down I raised the other in preparation to strike her. I brought it down rapidly on her, expecting my fist to connect with her face.

Lashowe had anticipated my move and grabbed my fist, twisting my wrist and arm around. Shocked by the sudden pain I released my grip on her and she took advantage of the opening, delivering a knee to my lower chest. The armour absorbed most of the blow, but the sudden force of the contact made me stumble backward.

I then felt hands grasping my throat, only Lashowe hadn't moved. I clawed at my neck in the hopes that I would loosen the grip that was on my throat, with no avail.

I realized that Lashowe was using the Force in order to choke me. Her face was contorted with a sick pleasure, a mixture of a sneer and a smile on her lips as I was lifted into the air.

My mind started going in overload, desperate to find a way to survive. I barely heard Dustil calling to Lashowe. "She's had enough!"

I looked at the bar behind Lashowe, spotting my only chance of survival. Desperately, I released one hand from my throat and closed my eyes, trying to picture it in my mind.

"What good is a Sith who can't fight? She has no worth! You should be grateful that I'm sparing you - AGH!"

Lashowe was cut off by a large glass crashing into the back of her head, making her cry out. In shock or pain, I couldn't tell. Nor did I care up at that point.

Lashowe, having lost her concentration, released her grip on me and I crashed to the floor, gulping in the precious air that I was now more grateful for.

The moment was short lived as I felt myself being physically lifted into the air and thrown. I crashed into a nearby table, mentally cursing at myself for letting my guard down.

I picked myself up as quickly as I could, but I wasn't quick enough and Lashowe had grasped the hair on the back of my head and slammed my head into the ground. Using whatever strength I had left, I lifted myself and put all of my weight onto Lashowe, crushing her underneath me.

She flipped us so I was on my stomach and she was on my back. She straddled my waist and placed a hand between my shoulder blades, pinning me down.

Without any hesitation she brought her fist down and punched the only area where my armour didn't cover, the only area she could reach, and ground harshly into it.

She had punched my bad shoulder.

Sure, there were shoulder plates, but there's a small spot where if hit on the right angle, you'd hit a weak point in the armour. Lashowe had spotted that weak point and used it to her advantage.

My whole arm exploded with pain, making me cry out. She removed her fist and I prepared myself for another blow.

I then felt the weight of her body being lifted off of me and I rolled over so I was on my back, grasping at my once-again wounded shoulder.

I opened my eyes to see that Dustil had managed to pull Lashowe off of me. "I said she's had _enough_ , Lashowe!"

She pulled herself from his grasp but made no movements towards me. "You aren't going soft now, are you Dustil?"

"No. I just know when to stop, something you need to learn."

I slowly picked myself off of the ground, trying my best to not move my shoulder. Dustil nodded to me. "You alright?"

"I've been through far worse. You just worry about yourself."

Everyone stood there, dumbfounded at what they just saw. I panted heavily, still favouring my shoulder.

I nodded to Dustil. "You'll have your fight, alright? Just give me some time."

He nodded back, but said nothing. Without another word, I passed the two Sith, gathered my belongings, and walked out of the Cantina, a small limp now in my step.

I just lost a huge amount of dignity after putting myself in that fight.

/ / /

As I approached the _Hawk_ I prayed most desperately that nobody would be in the main area or the Dormitory. I needed a private spot to nurse my more grievous wounds. Danny would keep quiet but he'd want to beat the living hell out of whoever had hurt me and I couldn't let him do that. Mission would eventually let something slip. T3 would stay quiet unless he was forced to tell something. Zalbaar wasn't one to tell secrets. Carth would probe and he wouldn't be happy with me at all if he knew I put myself into a fight, as would Bastila. Juhani would express concern for me but she'd keep quiet.

Canderous and Kodan? As far as I knew and understood they grew up in a violent culture so I doubted they would mind. However, with Canderous as my father he would either be a little protective or he would try to murder the person who had hurt me.

That, or he would tell me to go and kick their asses at some point.

As I walked up the loading ramp I released the grip on my shoulder and tried my best not to limp, wincing as my whole weight then settled on my legs and feet. I peeled off my gloves and flexed my hands, my knuckles feeling almost numb after the fight. Slowly, I entered the _Hawk_ , listening for anyone that could be around.

I made a dash for the women's dormitory, wincing further at the pain in my arm.

"You're pretty late."

I stopped and cursed under my breath. Wiping the wince from my face, I backed up and poked my head into the Garage. "Hey, Canderous! You're a wee bit early in getting back, aren't you?" I forced a small smile.

He raised an eyebrow. "Where were you?"

I backed up further and leaned against the doorframe. "The cantina, playing Pazaak."

"That was an awful lot of ruckus for a Pazaak game."

I pursed my lips, blinking rapidly. "You know, instead of putting me through a guilt trip you could just say that you saw me."

He sniffed. "I didn't. I was just passing by and saw a crowd," he stood from his spot on the Swoop. "I came back and found that you weren't on the ship."

I didn't have anything to say to that. Even if I did, I wouldn't want to say anything. So I stayed silent. Canderous beckoned me with his palm and I slowly moved forward, trying not to make my limp too obvious.

Once I was close enough he leaned down and looked me straight in the eyes. "What happened?"

My resolve, as well as my pride, hardened. As much as he had every right to know, I wasn't about to tell Canderous that I had my butt kicked. "I don't think you _need_ to know."

He leaned back. "Really."

Before I could react he grabbed at my right shoulder, very roughly, and squeezed. I breathed in sharply, grimacing briefly before regaining my composure. "What's this, then?"

When he realized that I wasn't going to answer, he released his grip on my shoulder and I let out a breath, gently rubbing my arm. I didn't dare look up at him. Despite me not knowing about our familial connection for even a day, I couldn't help but feel shame at the fact that a child of a Mandalorian couldn't fight. It's what they're all about, and I couldn't hardly throw a punch.

"There's no shame in admitting defeat," he said. "However, there is also no honour in stupidity."

"Would you stand there and have your honour degraded? Your dignity, your worth, belittled?" I quipped, looking up into his steely grey eyes.

"No, but I also wouldn't throw away any dignity I have left by throwing myself into a battle I _know_ I could never win."

**Dammit all, he's right.**

Silence passed between us for some time before he let out a deep sigh. "Is your shoulder dislocated again?"

I shook my head. "No. But it hurts like the blazes."

"What about the rest of you? Sounds like you took quite a beating."

"I'll live."

He nodded, taking his seat back on the Swoop and crossing his arms. "I doubt that whoever you fought with ended it willingly." He stated.

"No. However, it's not her I have to fight. It's someone else."

Canderous looked completely unimpressed. "You agreed to a fight with another Sith?"

"Or have him kill me there and then. Pick your poison."

"' _He_ '?"

"You know what, you didn't tell me why you're already back. Or where Winter and Kodan are?" I quickly tried to change the subject, not wanting to delve into the discussion any further.

Canderous shrugged. "Winter is resting, saying she had a headache. Kodan has gone off _exploring_ other parts of Dreshedae."

"Why? On both accounts."

"We tried getting into the Academy, but they don't let anyone in unless they're training or have been accepted into the Academy by another student or a teacher. We tried asking around but nobody seems to know any other way except impressing another student."

I was confused. When I played I was rejected from the Academy but then I was ambushed by three students, gaining a Medallion. And it didn't sound like they talked with Yuthura Ban at all, either. "Sounds like there's more to it than that."

He chuckled. "Yeah. We ran into some Sith on our way into Dreshedae. We didn't impress them too much and made a bad name for ourselves. Long story short, nobody wants to deal with us."

I paused, thinking this all through. **Nobody wants anything to do with them. I have a Medallion. If I give it to Winter she gets in, but I don't. If Dustil somehow recognizes his Medallion or I don't turn up, I jeopardize the whole crew if he tries to hunt me down. But if I'm a student, I keep the Medallion to give to another. I could get in, become an official student, hand the Medallion to Winter, get them in. Easy!**

"Well, I wouldn't entirely call your day a bust." I said, pulling out the Medallion that Dustil had given me.

Canderous' eyes widened in surprise. "How'd you get that?"

"My challenger."

"You don't plan on giving it to Winter."

"Nope."

"Why?"

I conveyed my plan to him and he listened most earnestly. When I finished explaining he pointed out one small flaw. "You have to fight when you get into the Academy against a trained Sith, and you don't know hand-to-hand or melee combat."

"I'll be trained in Lightsaber combat when I get in." I replied.

"But it won't be enough against a student who's trained for hell-knows how long." He quipped. He was right again!

I pursed my lips. "Then what do you suggest I do," I asked sarcastically. "The only thing I can do is learn combat before I get into the Academy!"

Canderous smirked ever so slightly and I mentally kicked myself for my big mouth. He leaned forward, not wiping the smirk off of his face. "Exactly."


	12. Blood and Bruises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harmony gets into the Academy, but has to go through an "initiation" at the hands of her challenger.

_**Another piece has fallen into place, another segment to the story, another line to the drawing. Then again, not like she has much else of a choice. Poor child, she has no idea of the things she has chosen to get into.** _

_**On this planet I feel her much more strongly, the darkness making me stronger, more potent. She doesn't know it, yet, but every impulse, every angry thought, every rage-fuelled action, is of my doing, my influence upon her.** _

_**When she feels me, she dares try to push me back into her mind, into that dark little corner she barely wishes to tread. Her heart is so filled with love, passion, loyalty, Grace, that she wishes to try and forget me.** _

_**Oh, how I can make her forget. I can make her forget everything; her soul, her heart, her mind, her sense of humanity. I can make her forget her very being, who she really is. And I plan to do so.** _

_**But not yet. I must wait when she's so far gone in her insanity, when she's desperate for release. Only then, will I take action.** _

/ / /

Sweat dripped from my brow, my muscles quivered with near exhaustion, my breathing fast and irregular. Have to focus, have to concentrate.

**Balance your breaths, straighten your posture, ignore the burn.**

I let out a breath and dodged as another fist flew past my head. Acting fast I grabbed his wrist and used my free arm to hit the joint at his elbow, then turning and leaning forward I sent my assailant to the ground.

He sent a painful kick to my gut, sending me flying over him. As quickly as I could at that moment I fixed my posture and landed on my feet and hands, sliding along the ground for a brief moment.

I looked up to see a boot come flying at my face. I didn't anticipate the move and the punishment was a good kick to the face. The force of the blow helped me in getting off of the ground. I licked my lips, tasting the familiar metallic tang of blood on my tongue. "Had enough?"

I sighed, pretending to stumble as I put my fists back up. "I could do this all day, mate." Sniffing, I charged him, catching him completely off guard and sending him back to the ground.

I quickly lifted myself from him and delivered a strong elbow to his gut, forcing the air from his lungs. He was quick to recover and sent a fist to my jaw. The sudden impact caused me to fall back and he took the opportunity to attack, grabbing my throat and tackling me to the floor.

I clawed desperately at his arms, wishing for the air to return to my lungs. He didn't relent. Remembering something, I released my one hand and tried to reach for my boot, the lack of air now making the world around me spin.

I heard a set of footsteps coming in our general direction, and then I cringed as I heard a shout. "What in blazes is going on in here?!"

Ignoring Bastila, I kneed my assailant in the groin, his grip loosening ever so slightly on my throat. I used the last of my strength to deliver a head butt, stunning him. I quickly wrapped my legs around his hips and I flipped us over. I quickly brought out my throwing knife and pressed it against his throat, grinning victoriously. "Checkmate. I win, Kodan."

"That you do." He rapidly said, obviously out of breath.

I heard Canderous chuckle, seeing that the battle was over. "It's called 'training', Princess."

I removed myself from on top of Kodan, putting my knife back in my boot. "Nearly choking a child to death is 'training'?" She asked with obvious restraint in her voice.

"Oi, I ain't a child! And, I just kicked his balls, so I'm betting we're pretty even." I said.

Bastila ignored me and sighed. "Winter needs to talk to you, Harmony."

I stretched out my arms. "What does she want?"

"She didn't say."

"Alright." I put my hands on my hips and leaned back, stretching out my spine. "Where is she?"

"In the starboard dormitories."

I cracked my neck and knuckles, moving past Bastila. "I'll be back." I told them.

Finally, but momentarily, alone, I was able to think about things. It had been about two weeks since my little 'spat' with Lashowe and both Canderous and Kodan have been training me real hard since then. They knew I was going up against someone who has had training for many years, so they wanted to keep me prepared.

To prevent Dustil from thinking that I had gotten cold feet, I would occasionally make a stop at the Cantina so then he knew I was still around. If Lashowe was ever with him I would scoot out of there quicker then a bat out of hell. I didn't want to get in another scuffle with her and end up getting killed. Regardless, my constant visits to the Cantina seemed to be an open invitation for him; he constantly tried flirting with me for whatever reason and I would always attempt to reject the boy, with little to no success.

I shook my head, briefly remembering how I was constantly hit on by boys back in my high school. I didn't have the most attractive of faces but I apparently had a good sex appeal, something that must've still been a fairly prominent feature on me. I shook my head again, a heavy sigh accompanying it.

"Something on your mind, Harmony?"

I was shaken out of my thoughts. "Yeah, just a wee bit." I sat on one of the bunks and leaned back. "You wanted to talk to me, Winter?"

Winter also chose a bed and faced me. "Yes, I needed to talk to you about your plan."

"My plan?"

"To get me into the Academy."

I shifted almost uncomfortably. "What of it?"

"I was thinking that perhaps it would be best if I just took the medallion and pretended that I killed you for it. I'd get in a lot quicker and you would be spared a dangerous fight."

**Why do all of the worst ideas start with 'I was thinking'?** "And then what? You get in and then the person who challenged me finds you have the Medallion instead of me and he ends up feeling like you cheated him out of a fight." I took a breath and continued. "He'll want to fight you in return and he'll kill you or you'll kill him."

"What's wrong if I end up killing him."

I paused and then I realized the little predicament I had gotten myself into. See, in the amount of time that Canderous and Kodan had been training, not once did I mention the name of my Challenger, not knowing if Carth had discussed his son and wife with Winter. She'd find out who my challenger is if she got in but she'd have no choice but to kill Dustil if he did feel cheated out of a fight, which was something I couldn't allow.

So, I had to tell her. What other alternative did I have?

Looking around to make sure that we had no audience I got up and sat beside her, gesturing for her to come a little closer. "You see, I can't exactly let you do that." I held up a hand to keep her from interrupting me. "And the reason for that is because my challenger is someone that one of our crew members knows... _personally_."

"Who would that be?"

I leaned in and whispered. "Dustil Onasi."

I quickly leaned back to inspect her reaction. At first she appeared confused at the name, but after contemplating it for a moment her eyes suddenly widened. "Does Carth know?"

I shook my head. "I thought that it was for the best that he didn't know at all. First, he'd be somewhat pissed that I didn't say anything to him and he'd probably want to get into the Academy as soon as possible. That means you'd have to use my Medallion and Dustil will still want a fight."

Winter nodded in agreement. "Yes, good."

We sat there in silence for a few moments, allowing Winter to retrace whatever steps and reset any plans or backup plans she may have had. I sat there patiently, watching as her face shifted from one of success to one of frustration. I wondered if that was what I looked like whenever I was trying to draw or write.

I held back a smile as she sighed in defeat. "Alright, fine, we stick with your original plan." Then I did smile. "But you won't be killing Dustil, correct?"

"Am I a murderer?"

"I suppose not."

We both chuckled and got up off of the bunk. "I was planning on going into the Academy today. I just gotta see Dustil about getting me in."

"You do that."

I let out a small grunt in response. She left the dorms and I moved over to my pack, pulling out my bow and quiver. Placing both on my back I pulled out my throwing knife and inspected it, checking for dullness or any flaws or chips. Satisfied with it I placed it back in its respective holster in my boot. I tightened the straps on my armor and exited the dorms and headed for the ramp of the _Hawk_.

/ / /

I had been sitting in the Cantina for what felt like hours, leaning back in my seat with one leg up on the table and mindlessly fiddling with my throwing knife. Usually Dustil was in the Cantina at this hour, but I was either early or he was late. Either way, I was becoming impatient and I was just about ready to leave.

"You look like a wild Kath Hound when you do that. You know that, right?"

I suppressed a sigh. "All the better so then people like you leave me alone."

Dustil chuckled and sat beside me, obviously not caring about my personal bubble. "I'll take that as a compliment." I stabbed my knife into its holster with an audible _click_ and, without bothering to look at him, I said, "I'm ready to get into the Academy."

I could practically feel his smile. "I figured as much." He stood up and offered me his hand, which I rejected, getting up on my own.

Without much words being spoken he guided me through Dreshdae. He was a couple of paces ahead of me so he couldn't see me and my conflicted face.

You see, I hadn't felt or heard, or even seen, any activity from Malice in the time that I had been trained. For two whole weeks She had kept silent, not even appearing to me within my dreams. So I was completely unprepared when She suddenly decided to make an appearance as we neared the Academy.

_**'Can you not feel it? The power, the darkness?'** _

**Yeah, I feel it. I just choose to not let it get to me.**

**_'Oh, I wouldn't suggest suppressing it for_ too _long, Harmony. No telling how much it may consume you later.'_**

I shook my head and put more power into my steps, trying to fuel out my anger. I wasn't about to let Her consume me, no matter where I was. I wasn't going to let her win. _I wasn't_.

"Who is this with you?"

I nearly jumped at the sharp voice and I realized we had reached the front entrance to the Academy.

"She's got a Medallion. She's a prospective student."

The Sith guard stepped back, "Very well."

Dustil, ever the 'gentleman', gestured for me to go first. Rolling my eyes I entered and he followed closely behind me. The door closed with and ear grating sound, making me feel truly trapped.

And cold. It felt cold.

I shivered and it didn't go unnoticed by Dustil. "You get used to the temperature after a while."

"Shut up."

Her lead me through the stone hallway, our footsteps echoing off of them. The sounds of our footsteps made the air feel almost damp, the smell was damp, too. I breathed in through my mouth, the air tasting stale. I knew I wasn't going to like it, not one bit. I only hoped that Malice wouldn't be as troublesome as She had let on. If She did... I just wouldn't know how well I'd hold up.

"I suggest that you look a little more attentive in front of Master Uthar."

Something in Dustil's tone made me a little more edgy, so I did as I was told, straightening my posture and looking forward. We entered a large, circular room with four branching hallways, one of them being the ones we just came from. Placed on each side of the entrances to the hallways were Sith statues in a... stressful posture. That is the only way I could describe them if you had asked me. In between each of those four branching hallways were door leading into other rooms, each having extremely intricate details and designs on them. A dim light shone in the center of the room, illuminating it if only slightly. In the center of the room was Uthar Wynn, appearing to have been meditating. I couldn't help the second shiver as it ran down the full length of my spine.

Dustil seemed to continue to tense up the closer we got to Uthar, something that was beginning to make me worry. Dustil had been trained at the Academy for several years,as far as I could deduce, so I saw no reason for him fearing Uthar. Maybe it was because he was bringing in someone new, or maybe there was some sort of bad blood between the two. Either way, I wasn't about to ask and I didn't really want to know anyways.

Dustil stopped and I stopped just behind him. Hands behind his back and legs somewhat spread apart, he cleared his throat. "Master Uthar."

Slowly, the Sith Master stood, almost menacingly. Every fibre in my being screamed for me to high tail it and run, but I firmly planted my feet. His eyes opened and a third shiver ran down my whole body. His eyes were so _yellow_ , almost orange in colour. His skin was extremely pale and adorned with Sith tattoos, further accentuating his dark aura. One single thought briefly ran through my mind.

**I'm so boned.**

"Dustil, I see you have someone else with you." His voice was surprising. I was, for whatever reason, expecting a deeper and more gravelly voice to go along with his gruff look. His voice didn't make him sound any less Sith-like, but it was softer than I had anticipated. It helped round off some of the edginess that I felt.

"Yes, Master. I had met her in Dreshdae and she's fairly strong in the Force..."

As Uthar's gaze fell onto me I straightened my posture further and I didn't dare flinch as he approached me. "Indeed." He agreed with Dustil, his eyes not leaving mine.

I felt the strongest urge to shrink away from the man's presence, my eyes flickering away oh-so briefly. Not wanting to appear afraid or weak, I took a breath and put my lips into a firmer line. I wasn't about to let this man intimidate me, as much as he actually did. "She's hoping to become a Sith-"

"I deducted as much, Dustil."

Dustil appeared to shrink away slightly at his stern voice.

Uthar then readdressed me. "I can already tell you haven't been here in Dreshdae for very long. So, who are you?"

I tried not to let my voice crack as I spoke. "Harmony Valo."

"You wish to become a Sith, do you?" I nodded. "Tell me this, then, who do you believe the Sith are? What do you know of the Sith?"

I thought carefully about my answer. I didn't completely remember what the dialogue options were for when you were on Korriban, but I somewhat remembered one of the best answers for when Uthar asked you that question. "The Sith are masters of the Force. Rather than suppressing the emotions and thoughts that the Jedi say you should, they use them and make the Force their servant, making them more powerful and making them a force to be reckoned with."

Uthar raised an eyebrow at me. "Fairly detailed, if not accurate." I couldn't help but feel a small amount of pride swell within me. "Now, I pose one final question to you; are you truly ready to face the challenges ahead of you, are you ready to become a Sith?"

I swallowed slightly at his question. "Ready as I'll ever be."

"An honest answer." He commented. "Something you will have to learn not to do."

I mentally kicked and slapped myself at my somewhat automated response. There were some days where I wished my mouth would learn to stay shut before it decided to make a sound.

"Your training will begin tomorrow, so I suggest you rest and prepare yourself for it as it is vigorous." He turned to Dustil. "Dustil, show her where she will be taking residence."

He nodded and bowed. "Yes, Master Uthar."

"I leave you with this, young one," He turned back to me. "The path of the Sith is long, difficult, and full of challenges. If you believe yourself too weak, or you do not wish to face the regular challenges of being a Sith, the choice is yours; you can stay, or you can leave."

I couldn't help but shrug. "Well, I won't be leaving anytime soon, so you'll be seeing me more than you probably think."

"We shall see."

Dustil cleared his throat, signalling that I shouldn't stay any longer than I had. I bowed deeply and then followed close behind Dustil. Once we were finally out of ear shot, I released a deep and shaky breath. "He scares the living shit out of me."

"You're not the first one to say that, either." He replied, seeming to release a breath of his own.

We turned into a smaller corridor, passing by Lashowe. I flinched harshly as I heard her call out. "I'm surprised to see her here, Dustil."

I sighed. "Don't you have anything better to do than trying to make me disappear?"

"I wasn't talking to you!"

I held up my hands. "Grr." I muttered.

"Well, I told you she didn't seem like the type to back out from a challenge and here she is. So, deal with it."

"What makes you think she's even worthy to be here?"

"She's promising, Lashowe."

I held up my hand. "I'm standing right here, you know."

Lashowe narrowed her eyes at Dustil menacingly. After a moment she shook her head and opened the door to her room and slammed it shut. I flinched then looked at Dustil. "How do I know she won't try and murder me in my sleep?"

"Because then I'd have to kill her for ruining my chances at a challenge."

**I'm gonna have to get used to these people if I'm ever gonna make it here...** "Ah."

Dustil gestured to the end of the corridor. "Your room is down there." He handed me what looked like a key card. "Use this to unlock the door."

I took the card and placed it in my pocket. "Thanks, mate."

"I expect to see you in the Valley of the Dark Lords. Tonight, as soon as the sun goes down. Don't be late." And with that he left, his footfalls echoing in the stone corridor. I shrugged and walked to my designated room, using the key card on a panel to open the door. That was odd; in the game, there weren't any doors. But, I suppose that doors were good; how else was I going to be able to change without having someone walk in on me? I guess the game developers didn't really think about doors, probably thinking that nobody would think about the lack of privacy for the Academy dorms.

The panel flashed green and the door opened. I walked in and the door closed right behind me. The rooms were small but at least there was a lot more light compared to the parts of the Academy that I had seen, it made the room feel a little more warmer. There was a raised cot in the middle of the room and beside the cot, a black footlocker for personal belongings. I took my quiver from off my back and opened the footlocker, lazily dropping it into it. I used my foot to close the lid. I then flopped onto the cot, releasing a deep and long sigh.

I felt tired, which was not too surprising. I had trained with Canderous and Kodan for the whole of the morning and just being inside the Academy felt exhausting. I needed to sleep. I needed to be fully awake and ready for the fight with Dustil if I wanted to survive.

Closing my eyes, I allowed my body to relax and my mind to calm. Without much effort, I fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

_I'm sitting back on these damn rocks, right beside that dark and twisted tree, right by that dark pond. I don't like it here, not one bit._

_"You can change where you are, all you need to do is wish."_

_I look up to face Malice, Her demonic eyes gleaming. "Wish for what?"_

_"Whatever you want, wherever you want to be."_

_I nod and close my eyes, dreaming of a warmer place, a calmer and less dark place. I open my eyes to a sandy beach, the wind cool and the sun hot. The water crashes into the rocks and the birds cry out, claiming whatever food they see. "A pleasant place." Says Malice._

_The stupid tree is still here! "Oh, I failed to mention that I can twist your visions as much as I desire."_

_"Of course you did." I mutter._ _I look down at the chess board and see that the pieces are all back in their starting positions. Something is off with these pieces, I realize._

_They are all black._

_"Yes. You're in my domain, now."_

_I know what She is meaning. I am on Korriban, a place of darkness. She means that I'm in Her backyard, I am in a place where She is the strongest. "Yes, indeed Harmony. That is true and yet, you do not accept it."_

_I dare to look Her in Her eyes. "I accept it, but I do not accept you."_

_She cocks Her head to the side. "But I am apart of you, thus you_ must _accept me."_

_"Acceptance means surrender."_

_"Does it_ really _?"_

_I sigh. She could truly be a pain in the backside. "I don't care what you think. What you think doesn't matter."_

_She chuckles, then laughs. Her laugh is dark, cold, menacing, making me feel uncomfortable. "Oh, Harmony, how innocent and ignorant you are."_

_My hands ball into fists. "And why do you say that?" She laughs again. "Oh, I don't wish to spoil anything for you, my dear. In time."_

_The world around me begins to shift and turn, my eyes begin to feel heavy and my mind begins to go blank. I hear Her say,_

_"In time, all shall be revealed to you."_

* * *

I woke up with a start, my hearts racing and sweat dripping down my face. I realized I had fallen off of my cot and the fall must've been what woke me up. I sat up and brought my knees up to my chest, trying my best to calm down. **This is what she wants, she wants me to be afraid, she wants me to be angry. Don't let her win, don't let her...** I took several deep breaths, calming my racing hearts. I quickly checked the chronometer built into the footlocker; nearly nine o'clock. I didn't exactly know when the sun went down on Korriban, but I decided to start heading out. I got off of the ground and opened the footlocker, grabbing my quiver and placing it over my shoulder.

Setting my pace to a powerful jog I exited my room and proceeded to head off to the Valley of the Dark Lords. With any luck, I wouldn't be late for the "meeting".

I passed by many Sith and Sith guards, some of them nodding as I passed by and many others merely giving me cold glances. The guard placed at the door leading to the Valley nodded and saluted at my approach and I nodded in return. As the door opened I saw that the sun was just beginning to set over the horizon and I started to run. I'd rather be early compared to being on time; makes for a better impression.

I ran past the cave, not noticing the Shyracks that were at the entrance to it. I ran underneath the fallen pillars that gave you an entrance to the Valley and I saw a few Sith students already at the center of the Obelisks. The Obelisks had small lights on all four sides, providing more light for any possible late-night excavators. I pushed past a few and I saw Dustil talking to Lashowe and two other male students. One had dark hair and some stubble, the other had equally dark hair but he looked considerably younger than the former. Dustil must've sensed me because he turned to me upon my approach. "It's about time you showed up."

I held my hand up. "Oi, I ain't late!"

"I suppose not."

Taking a few breaths I gestured around us. "What's with the audience?"

Dustil shrugged helplessly. "Word got around, I suppose. Nobody here really wants to miss a fight between two students, especially if it's to the death."

I easily caught the threat in his words. "Yeah, I suppose."

"I still say we kill her now and spare you the trouble." Lashowe said to him. Dustil rapidly turned on her and activated his Lightsaber, its red glow illuminting the small area. "Unless you want to take her place as my challenger, I suggest you be quiet, Lashowe!"

Lashowe, although her face revealed no fear, swallowed audibly and she backed up. He deactivated his Lightsaber and turned back to me. "Normally I would fight another student with Lightsabers, but seeing that you don't have one that wouldn't exactly be fair."

I shrugged and whipped out my bow with a _snap_. "Since when do the Sith care about fighting fair?"

Dustil, along with many others, chuckled and sniggered. "You think that will even the odds?"

With a smile I pulled against a small trigger and blades appeared at the ends and front edges of my bow. Thanks to the help of Kodan, I was able to modify my bow and turn it into a small, double ended, curved sword. I was able to practice with it during several of my training sessions and it worked most splendidly. The best part was that the crystal I had gotten from the Cave on Dantooine was what the edge of the blades were made from. I asked Bastila, Juhani and Winter for assistance with this. All three were able to teach me how to form and shape a crystal using the force and I was able to make it apart of the blades. Upon testing it, the crystals stayed in place and they even deflected Lightsaber blades. "Now I do."

Dustil chuckled again. "If you say so."

One of the Sith students came out from the crowd. "For all of you _rookies_ ," I scoffed at his hint. "The rules are simple; Don't die. Use whatever you wish. If you win, you live, if you don't, you die." He backed up and raised his hand. Dustil activated his Lightsaber and I readied my bow.

The instant the Sith's hand shot downward Dustil lunged at me, swinging his Lightsaber. I had anticipated such a violent move, as most Sith expect fights with rookies to be short, and I ducked. The instant he was above me I lifted and sent him flying. I turned and saw that the small crowd had backed up to allow more space for the both of us to fight. Dustil had landed, most gracefully on his feet but not facing me. I pulled an arrow from my quiver and fired. His Lightsaber made short work of my arrow and sliced it in two as he turned. I readied another arrow, sharp edge gleaming in the artificial light of the moon.

We circled one another, daring each other to make a move. I feigned starting attack and he moved forward slightly. **He moves forward, not backwards, when being attacked. Smart.**

Dustil then attacked and I fired the arrow, dodging out of the way and readying another arrow as I did. As he was still stopping himself from propelling forward I fired the arrow and grazed his leg, imbedding itself into the hard ground. I heard a hiss of pain from him and he turned sharply, fury in his eyes. **Great job, now you pissed him off.**

He started attacking me mercilessly with his Lightsaber, barely granting me any time to dodge or block the attacks. I felt his Lightsaber graze the armor on my chest and the strap holding my quiver was cut by the Lightsaber. I quickly kicked the quiver away, now without any arrows to fire.

My brief distraction was rewarded with a kick to the face. I fell backwards and onto my back. I groaned slightly and tasted the familiar tang of blood on my lips. I gasped as I saw Dustil leap into the air, ready to impale me with his Lightsaber. I quickly brought up my bow, just barely blocking the attack in time. I felt Dustil forcing his Saber down on me, his face contorted with a sneer. I brought my knees up and managed to kick him in the gut, sending him back. I got up and assumed a natural defensive stance, He had excellent reflexes so he was always ready to defend or attack.

"You're not too bad."

"Neither are you."

I sniffed and decided to attack, swinging my blade downward then to the side. He dodged both attacks with grace and counter-attacked, bringing his Saber up. I felt searing heat against my cheek, startling me and making me back off.

The crowd had gotten caught up in all of the excitement and were cheering and goading us both on. I brought my hand up to my cheek and checked it, pieces of already dried blood on it. "Thanks for that, mate." I said to him.

We ran at each other and met at the center of the circle, exchanging multiple attacks and counter-attacks. I found an opening and used it, kicking his groin and stunning him. I took the opportunity to deliver a damaging blow. The tip of my blade cut his side, a small yelp escaping his lips. Before I could deliver another blow he used the Force to push me back. I fell into the crowd, who pushed me back into the circle. Dustil then sent an unforgiving flurry of attacks on me. I was becoming exhausted and I was barely able to defend myself from his attacks. Another pause, another opening, I knocked his Lightsaber out of his hands. Despite that he lost his weapon he continued to attack me with his fists and feet.

He kicked my bow out of my hands, leaving me without a weapon as well. His flurry of attacks didn't stop, however, and my blocks almost weren't enough.

**Balance your breaths, straighten your posture, ignore the burn.**

Rather than blocking the next kick, I dodged underneath it and I grabbed at his leg and pulled him down. He twisted from my grasp and kicked my face again. I felt and tasted more blood, but on the inside of my mouth. **Bit my tongue...** With a cry Dustil lunged at me and his hands wrapped around my throat. His legs straddled my hips and he put most of his weight on me so I couldn't create any more surprise attacks.

Already exhausted from the extensive fight, I already felt my muscles starting to relax. I suddenly remembered something, remembered two things; one was that I had been in this position before. The second...

**Please don't see... Please don't be** warned **...**

"Dustil, she's pulling one on ya'!"

Dustil became momentarily distracted and his grip briefly loosened. I delivered a head-butt and stunned him. I pulled out my throwing knife and stabbed him in his left shoulder, embedding the blade to the hilt. He cried out and I shoved him onto his back. I stood, placing a foot on his chest so he wouldn't try getting up. Taking deep breaths, I used the Force to grab my bow. I saw the arrow that had grazed his leg still embedded in the ground. I called to it with the Force and it came into my hand. I readied the arrow and pointed it directly at him.

I felt anger and hatred running through my veins. Every part of me screamed to finish it all, to end the fight.

_**'Finish him off.'** _

I froze, my blood now running cold. I knew I couldn't do it, that I _shouldn't_ do it. It was wrong, it was immoral, for God's sake, this was _Carth's son_!

Dustil's eyes gleamed with rage, anger. They gleamed with pain and fear as he gripped at his bleeding shoulder. Despite his taunting stare, I shook my head. "No."

I fired the arrow and it landed just beside his ear, making him flinch. Panting heavily, I leaned down, increasing the pressure of my foot on his chest. His breath came in shorter pants as I leaned closer to his face. "I'm granting you a second chance. This fight wasn't you, this isn't what you wanted." I gestured my eyes to Lashowe. "This is what _they_ wanted."

When he didn't reply, I continued. "Don't think that this is mercy, as this is anything but."

I grabbed my knife and pulled it out of his shoulder, making him yelp in pain. I cleaned off the blade and placed it back in its holster. I looked around. "Anyone else?"

Everyone exchanged looks between one another, whispering among themselves. Sniffing and wiping the blood from my face, I picked up my quiver and left the circle of students, briefly hearing "Are you alright?" or "Do you need help?"

Despite myself, I couldn't help but smile at my victory.

_**'Feels good to be powerful, to be strong. Feels good to make them** _ **fear _you.'_**

I didn't agree, but then again, I didn't _disagree_ , either.


	13. Change of Plans

I walked - well, _stumbled_ , onto the _Ebon Hawk_ , my more serious injuries now catching up to me. It almost felt as if Dustil had broken my jaw or my nose, I had been bleeding from said jaw and nose and I was sure to have some bruises come dawn. I had cleaned off my face in the refresher in the Cantina so I wouldn't look so banged up when I had gotten back to the ship. The cut on my face had also developed a heartbeat of its own. I was only glad that Dustil had cut me with a Lightsaber rather than a sword or knife because the wound had been cauterized almost the instant the Lightsaber came into contact with my flesh.

Zaalbar was the first to greet me, in a sense.

" _Harmony? Are you okay?_ "

I sighed and forced a smile. Zaalbar had turned almost into an older brother to me, Mission had said that he can often be like that and I was grateful that he was. It gave me a break from Danny being an overly-concerned friend and from Canderous _awkwardly_ trying to be more like a father to me now that I knew about my past. I needed a brother-figure. "I just got into a scuffle, I'm fine."

" _But you have a cut on your face and you're limping._ " He grunted, obviously not buying it.

"Hold on, who has a what on their face?"

I groaned this time as Danny rounded the corner from the Main Hold. "Can I please, for once, enter the _Hawk_ without having people ask about my well-being and hounding me?"

"Nope."

"Shut up, Dan." I snapped. "Zaalbar, where's Winter?"

Zaalbar looked over his shoulder slightly. " _She's in the Cargo Hold, taking care of something._ "

 **'Taking care of something'?** "What would that be?"

Danny gestured for me to follow and I complied. "We seem to have a little _stowaway_ on board."

I didn't get why he had accentuated the word 'stowaway' right in that instant, but the moment we stepped into the Cargo Hold I understood what he meant.

Winter was kneeling down in front of a young girl, no older than twelve by the looks of it. Blonde hair pulled back into a pony-tail, brown eyes filled with confusion. "Winter?" I said, moving to stand beside her.

"Harmony, could you help me out?"

"Depends on what you mean by 'help'."

Winter stood up from her kneeling position. "Zaalbar had told me that the emergency supplies had been tampered with and I went to look-" She broke off as her gaze finally settled on me. "What happened to you?!"

I rolled my eyes. "I fell down the stairs." I replied sarcastically. "Look, I got into the Academy. I survived the fight with Dustil, that's all you need to know." I gestured back to the young girl. "Now, continue with what you were saying."

Winter shook her head. "Okay, well, I found this girl, here. She somehow stowed away on the ship without us even noticing she was here. I've tried talking to her for the past hour but she only speaks a smattering of Mando'a, I can't understand her."

I raised an eyebrow. "And you presume that I _can_?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, but it wouldn't hurt for you to try."

I pressed my lips into a fine line, blankly staring at Winter like she was joking. After a while I finally sighed and rolled my eyes. "Fine, I'll try. But don't think I'll be too successful."

Winter sighed in relief. "Thanks, Harmony."

An afterthought struck me. "Oh, and by the way," I flipped her the Medallion that Dustil had given me. "I think you'll need this." Winter nodded her thanks and left the Cargo Hold, passing by Dan. Dan looked at me, almost looking confused. "Do you remember anything about this stowaway?"

I shook my head. "I may have memorized most of the speech for this game, but I didn't try to memorize her language. I didn't even remember her until just now."

Dan chuckled. "Well, good luck with her."

I snapped at him again. "Oh, shut up, I remember at least a little bit of her language!" He didn't hear me as he was already out of the Cargo Hold. Sighing I looked back at the young girl, whom looked at me with curious eyes. I decided to to basic Mando'a first. " _Su'cuy_."

Her eyes suddenly became wide with fear. " _Yooba Manlorey!?_ "

I raised my hands. "No, I'm not Mandalorian!" I flinched at my instinctive response. Technically I _was_ Mandalorian, considering my lineage, but I wasn't one of the Mandalorians she knew of. I was actually rather shocked she understood me at all. Well, maybe she didn't, but it sounded familiar enough to her that she knew what the language was.

The young girl cocked her head, obviously confused. I sighed and sat down, crossing my legs. I tried my hardest to remember her language. " _Me na Manlorey._ "

She cocked her head the other way. " _Yooba na Manlorey?_ " I shook my head and she appeared to relax a bit. " _Wooba soosa_ Sasha." She said, pointing to herself.

 **Sasha! That's the girl's name!** "'Sasha'?" I repeated and she nodded enthusiastically. She then pointed to me. " _Yooba soosa?_ "

" _Wooba soosa_ Harmony." I couldn't help but smile at her as she herself smiled brightly. " _Sasha na esowon in bristag. Sasha na esowon Manlorey!"_

I flinched as if I were slapped. She hit me with a lot of words at once but I was able to process it after thinking for a while. "You're hiding from the Mandalorians? In this ship?"

Sasha seemed to have been getting more excited the more I talked with her. Perhaps Winter didn't understand the girl too well and Sasha was just glad someone else understood her. She nodded. " _Bristag me laesfa!_ "

"The ship is your home...?"

"What the hell are you doing?!"

Both Sasha and I jumped at the loud voice of Canderous, me more than Sasha. "Winter asked me to help with this girl, here."

Canderous approached me and kneeled down. He tilted my head off to the side and he inspected my cheek. Sasha looked almost frightened by Canderous, a natural and reasonable response. Canderous chuckled. "Is this the only wound you got from that fight?"

He released me and I shrugged. "Yeah, but I'll definitely be having more than a few bruises come tomorrow."

Canderous chuckled and gave me a good slap on the back, knocking the air out of my lungs. "Well done, _Ord'ika._ "

I wanted to snap at him and tell him I wasn't little, but I needed to capture my breath back. "Have you figured anything out with this one?" He asked me. I nodded.

"Yeah, her name is Sasha; she was hiding from Mandalorians here on the ship."

" _Yooba Manlorey_?" I looked over to Sasha, who was pointing at Canderous. I cringed, then, realizing that he had spoken in _Mando'a_ in front of Sasha. Luckily, Canderous almost didn't understand a word Sasha had said. "How are you able to understand that?" He asked me.

I just shrugged. "It's a smattering of the Mandalorian language, but it's fairly easy to learn."

Sasha then approached Canderous, looking at him curiously. Sasha didn't react quite as harshly as she did when she heard me speak _Mando'a_ , perhaps it was because I seemed to trust Canderous. I would've expected her to react more strongly because of Canderous and his large stature, but no, instead she was more curious than afraid.

" _Yooba Manlorey. Yooba na abds?_ "

Canderous tried his best not to look too confused. I chuckled. "She is saying you're a Mandalorian, but she is asking if you'll hurt her.

Canderous shook his head and forced a half smile and Sasha relaxed, a smile now on her own face. " _Wooba soosa_ Sasha. _Yooba soosa?_ "

"Canderous."

I smiled again. **I think we both made a friend.**

/ / /

Learning more of Sasha's language was easy for the both of us and soon Canderous and I were having full conversations with her. We found her home had been raided by Mandalorians and she was taken captive. She lived with Mandalorians for a long time before she saw us at a camp one day. She said she saw us fight Mandalorians and she said she followed us to the Jedi enclave. She then stowed away on our ship and hid from us so we wouldn't find her.

Beyond that she didn't tell us too much else about when she was on Dantooine or in the 'care' of Mandalorians. We didn't try to pry, anyhow, as we were both content with just talking about smaller, more trivial things.

Eventually she had fallen asleep on Canderous' shoulder. He huffed slightly and I chuckled. "Well, I guess you just have a comfortable shoulder." I said.

"And a sore one." He said.

I stood up from the floor and stretched out, my limbs stiff from sitting for so long. The pain in my body had started to make itself known and the cut on my face felt like it was burning. "Well, you could easily take her to the dorms and let her sleep." I suggested.

He looked at Sasha, checking to see that she was actually asleep. Slowly he removed his shoulder from under his shoulder and put his arms swiftly under her shoulders. Putting himself into a kneeling position he then put another arm under her knees and stood, carrying her to the dorms.

I followed behind him, trying not to voice the ache in my body as I walked. Instead of following him to the dorms I turned to head off to the Cockpit. I needed to talk to Winter about Sasha.

I felt something bump against my leg and I looked down to see T3 pushing gently against me. "Something you need?" I asked him, backing up so I didn't strain my neck so badly whilst looking down at him.

" _Are you going to the cockpit?_ "

I nodded. "Yeah, why?"

" _Winter asked for me to make sure that she and Carth aren't disturbed._ "

I nodded again. "Ah, private conversation or something?"

" _Yes._ "

I smiled and patted his head. "Well, thanks for letting me know. Uh, whenever they're finished mind giving Winter a message?"

He stayed silent and I presumed he was recording or whatever droids did when receiving messages. "Just tell her that Canderous and I had spoken with the stowaway, Sasha. She lives on Dantooine and there's a Twi'lek looking for her, which she probably already knows. She should bring her back right away and that Canderous can help with communications. I need to stay on Korriban so then a certain person wouldn't think I up and left."

T3 paused for a brief moment then looked up at me. " _Logged._ "

"Thank you."

T3 scuttled back to his usual spot in the Main Hold, doing whatever he usually did. I never really knew what he was doing whilst just sitting around, for all I knew he could have a computer in is head and be playing online Pazaak or something.

"You can't stay on Korriban all by yourself, you know."

I looked at Danny. "Well, what do you suggest I do? You aren't exactly a Sith student."

He looked as if he were about to respond but he closed his mouth. He beckoned and I followed him off of the _Hawk_. Once we were out of the earshot of the rest of the crew he became very serious, his voice a hushed whisper. "Katherine, come on, don't you remember anything from the game? I could just pretend to be your slave or something."

I rolled my eyes. "Well, that should've been thought about _before_ I got into the Academy. It's not like the game, I can't just bring random people into the Academy without raising suspicions."

Dan sighed. "Well, I'm still not about to let you go in alone."

"And just how are you going to get in?"

"I don't know, but I can figure something out!"

"Yeah, but when?"

"I don't know!"

I shook my head. "Alright, I don't want you getting hurt and I don't want you getting an aneurysm trying to figure things out. So, I'll just try to improvise or something, but only if it makes you shut up."

"Great!"

I growled. "Sometimes I wonder how I'm still friends with you."

Danny put an arm on my shoulder. "You know you love me."

"Shut up."

/ / /

The trip back to the Academy wasn't quite as painful as the trip to the _Hawk_ but I was still very sore. Danny had made a joke about carrying me, to which I slapped his arm. The Sith at the door had given us a second glance but then he payed no mind to us. I released a breath as the door closed behind us. "Okay, so, rule one as a 'servant' or 'slave'; don't be a douche."

"No promises, there."

I refrained from smacking him. "Secondly, you can't exactly talk back and you can't act disrespectful in any manner."

"Now I'm starting to think this wasn't such a good idea."

I shrugged. "Well we're going through with it until I say otherwise."

It was fairly late so there was barely anyone around, even Uthar had turned in for the evening. I was grateful for it because that way I managed to dodge any possible questions that he could've asked.

"So, where's your dorm or whatever?"

"Just down this hallway, I think..."

Dan snorted. "You 'think'? How can't you remember where your dorm is?"

I whipped my head around. "Oi, you cannot blame me; I had a hard time locating rooms in the game h do you think I feel when I don't have a map?"

"Good point."

"What have you got here?"

I restrained a groan from escaping my throat at Lashowe's voice. I stopped and turned to her. "What's it to you, Lashowe?"

"Nothing much, really, just wondering who your new friend is, here." She said, looking at Dan. "He's not too bad, I suppose."

Dan and I looked at each other briefly before our eyes fell back onto Lashowe. "And what exactly do you mean by that?" I asked, taking a threatening step towards her. She only chuckled.

"Oh, I think you know _exactly_ what I mean," she nodded to Dan, "a woman taking a man to her room..."

I stopped then looked back at Dan. Despite myself, I shuddered. "My god, woman, even best friends have boundaries!" I said, shuddering again. Completely forgetting my anger I stepped away from her with my hands raised in the air. "Why do I always end up in these situations?" I asked myself.

"Because-"

"Dan, shut up! And you're sleeping outside or something."

"What'd I do?!"

"Absolutely nothing."

/ / /

I woke up to an incessant knocking on the door to my dorm. I shouted at the top of my lungs, "Knock it off, I'm up!" Regardless of my shout, the knocking continued. I got up and stumbled to the door, opening it and punching Dan in the arm. "You really don't need to be a pest."

"How else would I wake you up in the morning?"

I sighed. "What do you need, Dan?"

He pointed to a man behind him. "Winter got your message but she said that you needed someone else to 'help' you."

I looked and saw that Winter had sent Kodan into the Academy. "Wait, how'd he even get in here?" Neither of them responded so I just shook my head and closed the door. "It's far too early for this crap." I moaned out, rubbing my eyes and stretching out my limbs. I needed to learn to not sleep in my armor. I grabbed my quiver from the footlocker and I left my dorm. "I don't get why Winter had to send you, Kody. Dan and I are fine."

"She didn't think so, Harmony. So she sent me."

I sighed. "Well, I don't know what you two will do while I'm being trained, so there really isn't a need for the both of you to be here."

Dan chuckled and I sighed. "You do realize that the Sith really don't train people too much. Sometimes they don't train people at all if they've already gotten training with a lightsaber."

"So?"

He shrugged. "So, you probably won't be training for more than a day or two."

I shrugged. "I really couldn't care less, Dan. It's too early for any of this." I walked past them and they followed close behind me. **I don't get why I need so much 'protection'; I can easily take care of myself!**

"Well, well-"

I wasn't ready to take anything from Lashowe. I had a rough evening and I barely had any sleep, I wasn't about to take her bullshit. I whipped around and snapped, "Look, I'm not about to take any more of your crap, Lashowe! You may think you're a tough bitch when you keep on bashing me and trying to make me look like an idiot, but that only makes you look like a child. So, shut up and leave me alone!" I was about to walk off but then another thought struck me. "Oh, and by the way, go screw yourself with a knife! It looks like you could use it." With a disgusted huff I walked off, muttering obscenities under my breath.

We walked, in awkward silence, to the training room where Uthar seemed to be waiting for me. "Ah, yes, our new student." He gestured to Dan and Kodan. "Who are these?"

I shrugged. "Just a servant and a body-guard, nothing much."

"Indeed. Well be certain that they do not hinder your training, child, for you have much to learn."

"Yes, sir."

"You will address me as your Master as you are in training."

I suppressed a growl. "Yes, Master." Just saying the word to a Sith left a bad taste in my mouth.

"Good."

I shuffled my feet slightly. "So, who is the one that will be training me?"

"I shall be the one to train you."

My eyes shot up at his statement. I hadn't expected that at all; why would the Master of the Academy be training me? Normally students were trained by another teacher.

He raised an eyebrow. "I can see you're confused. Understandable." He walked to me and gently (which surprised me) ushered me forward. "Come."

I looked back to Danny and Kodan. "Just wait here, I'll be back..." They both nodded.

We walked along the pathway to the Valley and I felt almost uncomfortable with the silence that ensued. I kicked a small pebble to somehow alleviate my nervousness.

"You see, child, there is a reason I am choosing you as my apprentice."

Another thing that shocked me. Didn't he already have an apprentice. "Hold on, _apprentice_? Isn't Yuthura your next-in-line?"

"Yes, she _was_. She had become too ambitious and tried to have me killed on the last initiation." I could practically feel the smirk on his lips in his next sentence. "Unfortunately for her, the student had turned on her and her plan failed."

"Oh."

"So, I am in need of a new apprentice."

"And how do I fit the bill?"

He stopped and turned to me, his stare intimidating me. "There is a darkness in you, a darkness that I haven't sensed within a student in years. You may not show it, but that darkness is slowly growing within you."

_**'As much as you wish to deny it, he's right.'** _

He took a step closer and stared directly into my eyes. "With that darkness, with you control of the Force, you have the potential to be a great Sith."

I didn't know what to say. Everything is changing; Winter not getting into the Academy was already a huge change, but with Yuthura dead I didn't know how Winter would get into the Academy. With me as an apprentice to Uthar I would be in charge of that stuff, wouldn't it? Or would hopefuls have to get in through other Sith students?

I realized that I had briefly zoned out and I shook my head. "I understand, Master."

"Good."

My hearts were beginning to race, my pulse pounding, head spinning, couldn't breath. My god, what had I gotten into? This wasn't part of the plan under any circumstance! This wasn't even part of the story, for god's sake! Why was this happening to me? Why was anything happening to me? It didn't make sense!

My hands were shaking uncontrollably and my breathing had become severely irregular. I had no capability in that moment to calm myself down or hide the fact that I was having a panic attack and this roused suspicion (or confusion, I couldn't tell) from Uthar. I was so worried, so confused, so frightened, I couldn't do much of anything in that moment.

I tried to walk. "Just... Just give me..."

I attempted to take a deep breath but only succeeded in making what sounded like a small squeak. I don't know if it was from the lack of air, from my racing hearts, or just from the pure panic that I felt, but I felt myself falling.

And then I completely blacked out.


	14. Rest and Relaxation

I sat in the Archives, piles of datapads stacked around me. This was all just so interesting! I knew enough of the Jedi history but the history of the Sith was just as intriguing. Both sides pulled up some good points, some more valid than others, but they made me think deeply about how incorrect both sides could be.

**More pieces to the puzzle, some fit perfectly but others must be put off to the side. Each piece exposes a new part of the picture but only a little bit of it. Slowly, but surely, the whole image shall be revealed.**

I felt a familiar, cold presence approach me. I suppressed a sigh as he sat down across from me. "Why must you insist on hounding me on a regular basis?"

"I barely call it hounding, sweetheart."

I sighed, ignoring him as best as I could. I had thought that beating Dustil in that fight would've put him off. But no, after a day or two he was back at it. For the past month he had been flirting with me, which I would always shrug off or Dan or Kodan would be around and they would make him scamper off (Kodan did that a lot better than Danny did).

"Well I do, so bugger off." I snapped at him, not taking my eyes off of the datapad.

"This will only take a second."

I sighed in defeat and placed the datapad on the table, my eyes meeting with his. "What is it?"

"Well, seeing that you're always cooped up here in the Archives or training with Uthar and that you never seem to get out a lot, I'm offering to take you somewhere where you could relax."

"And where would that be?"

He leaned in. "There's a party going on-"

"Nope." I picked up the datapad and continued with my readings.

He sighed. "I figured you'd say that." He shuffled the chair forward. "C'mon, you need some time to yourself, some time to lay back and live a little."

"I _am_ having time for myself, but you're currently ruining it."

Dustil grabbed the top of the datapad and took it straight from my hands. I looked at him with venom in my eyes. "Excuse me, sir, but I was reading that."

"I'm being serious, Harmony; you need to get out of here. Training under Master Uthar has left you stiff, it's not good for you."

I sighed, realizing that he was right; being trained by Uthar was a bit of a stretch compared to the training I had undergone by Zhar and Canderous and Kodan. Since I had no skill with a lightsaber (a newly formed scar on my leg was proof of that) Uthar decided that training me in the Force would be best. For nearly thirty days it had been nothing but mastering the Force and Zhar was very correct in saying that using the Force too much could be draining. I had barely been getting any sleep and my mind had become extremely exhausted from all the pressure and the stress. Malice wasn't much help, either, haunting me in both my daydreams and my nightmares.

Still, I wouldn't admit that to _him_. "I have no interest in going to a party, Dustil."

"And why not?"

"Simple; drugs, alcohol, smoking, sex, that's all that parties are about," I stood from the table, "and I'm not about to participate in any of that."

Dustil stood as well and gently grasped my shoulder, halting me. "It's not that kind of party; a lot of students don't want to end up having hangovers because some of the Sith Masters are overbearing. Think of it more like a social gathering."

I was at odds with myself; I _did_ need some time to myself but I didn't want to put myself in any sort of position where I could be taken advantage of in any possible way. Then again, I had made quite a name for myself in the Academy that I doubt anyone would try to do anything.

I groaned in defeat. "Alright, alright, I see your point."

I could feel his smile. "Great. The party is later tonight." He walked past me. "Oh and by the way, don't wear your armor or your uniform, this is a casual party."

"I don't really have much of anything else to wear, Dustil." I said, looking down at my Sith uniform.

"There are some shops in Dreshdae; you still have those credits you won, right?" He smiled and then waved. "See you tonight."

I groaned again. There were some days that I truly questioned if I was still sane.

/ / /

"So, wait, let me get this straight; Dustil invited you to a party."

"Yes."

"Hosted by Sith."

"Mhm."

"In the evening."

"Why is that even being questioned?"

He turned around. "And Dustil, the one who has been hounding you since you first came to Korriban, is the one taking you there?"

I sighed and continued to search through the vast array of clothing. "Listen, I understand your concern, Danny, but there isn't anything to worry about-"

"That coming from you is a little more than surprising; what happened to the paranoid, always-cautious girl I knew and hated?"

I turned and glared. "Do shut up."

Dan sighed and put his hand on my shoulder. "Listen, as a best friend I'm saying that it isn't a good idea and it's your call, but as a best friend who cares about your well-being and safety," He stared directly into my eyes, signaling that he was being serious, "for the love of God, please don't go. It's a bad idea and you could get hurt."

I smiled and put my own hand on his shoulder. "I'll make you a promise, Dan; I promise that, at the very first sign of trouble, even if it might not be trouble, I'll head straight on out of there and head back to the Academy. Deal?"

"Deal."

I grabbed on of the shirts off from the rack. "Okay, I promise this is the last outfit and if I like it then you can go and eat."

"Good, because I'm hungry."

I went into one of the dressing rooms and closed the door behind me. There were days when Dan could be overly serious about things, I thought. However, his concern for me was understandable considering where we were and the people who were around us.

I slipped my uniform off of my body and unhooked the shirt from the hanger. As advanced as the technology was here, there were some things that were exactly like home. I slipped the shirt over my head, careful as to not get it snatched on my horns, then I slipped on the pants. I looked at the mirror and turned around, analyzing the outfit with extreme attention to detail.

The black pants were made from a material that almost felt like denim and they gently hugged my legs, creating a mixture of both a skinny and baggy jeans look. The top was dark purple in color and it had straps about three fingers thick. The material felt almost silky with a small mix of cotton, making for a light and cool top.

I nodded, satisfied with the outfit. I quickly slipped out of the clothes and put my Sith uniform back on, stepping out of the dressing room. "Alright, Dan, you can go off and do whatever you usually do."

"Great."

With that he dashed off, presumably to the Cantina to find some food. I shook my head. **I swear, he has the appetite of a Wookie, some days.** I quickly payed for the clothes and dashed off to the Academy to get changed. I didn't exactly know when in the evening the party started but I wanted to be ready ahead of time, regardless.

/ / /

I had stepped out of my small dorm to see that Dustil was already waiting for me. "Not bad." He said, to which I just rolled my eyes. "What? That was a compliment, darling."

"Depends on the meaning of your 'compliment', Dustil. In your case, it was a cat-call."

"Still a compliment."

I just sighed. "So, where is this party, exactly?"

I followed as he stated walking. "It's at Mekel's place, somewhere outside of Dreshdae."

"So, wait, Mekel's going to be there?"

"Yeah, why?"

Mekel. That man, I swear, could've been Dustil's twin but from hell; Mekel had found me just as attractive as Dustil did and he tried to hit on me every chance he got. Luckily, his training sessions were almost at opposite times than mine were so that was not very often that he got an opportunity to do so. In all honesty, I would choose Dustil's flirting over Mekel's attempts at making me like him, because Dustil was at least more of a gentleman than he was.

"No reason, other than I don't like the prick."

"What did he ever do to you?"

"He's made unwelcome advances, Dustil. That's all there is to it. So shut up about him and let's get going."

/ / /

Walking to Mekel's home was filled with silence. Dustil would occasionally ask a question or two about me and I would answer truthfully but the instant he asked about my family I stayed quiet. I didn't feel like lying about my family but he also didn't need to know I was the daughter of a Mandalorian. He just shrugged it off and then the rest of the walk was just pure silence.

We approached a medium sized home. It looked alright; dark metal on the outside. A lot of plants growing around on the outside which was surprising, considering how dry Korriban was. "Here it is."

I could hear the music right from where we were. "I got a bad feeling about this..." I said.

"Why? I told you, it's not _that_ big; some people might be drinking or smoking, but it's not that heavy."

"Uh huh, sure. I'll have you know that if I see _anything_ that I really don't like, I'm out of there."

He chuckled. "No worries, darling; I'll keep you safe."

I rolled my eyes in disgust.

Dustil opened the door and he was almost instantly greeted by many of the Sith students. Mekel was quick and he was at the door to greet him "Dustil, good to see you could make it." His eyes fell onto me. "And you, of course, dear Harmony." He grasped my hand and kissed the back of it. When Dustil had first done the same action to me, it felt warm and I didn't shy away from it too quickly. When Mekel had done it, it felt cold. And I felt disgusted.

I slid my hand away. "Yeah, don't get your hopes up, mate."

Despite my rejection Mekel smiled. "Well, no sense in you both standing outside. Come on in."

There were a few students that I recognized; Lashowe, Shaardan, even Kel was at the party. Others were more of a blur, passing faces in the halls or in the training room. I never really got to know many of the other students, nor did I want to. I had enough problems with the five students I already knew.

Well, Kel was more friendly than any of the others. I remember him being a little too trusting, something both he and I had in common. However, because I was training under Master Uthar he had more reason not to trust me. So, to make him see that I was trustworthy, I had trusted him with the fact that I actually wasn't looking to become a Sith. I had explained to him what my true purposes are and he swore almost instantly that he wouldn't utter a word to anyone what I had told him. We became fast friends after that and when I wasn't training or being hounded by either Mekel or Dustil, he and I would have some rather good conversations about philosophy and politics. We'd have a few where the Sith Code and such would be questioned, but we often made sure that we were in the most private of settings when breaching those types of topics. He was a good friend, something I was missing whilst being inside the Academy (aside from Danny and Kodan, but they were posing as servants and muscle so I couldn't be too friendly with them).

I made a beeline for Kel, who was sitting at a small table on the opposite end of the room. As somewhat expected he was sitting alone. He really didn't like socializing with other Sith students, he said it made him feel like he was vulnerable. It also made him nervous because if he let anything slip then there was a chance that Master Uthar could have him... _Disposed of_.

I sat directly across from him, a smile plastered on my face. "Feels good to see a friendly face around here."

Kel looked surprised as I sat down. "Harmony! I didn't think that you'd be here, out of all places!"

I suppressed a groan. "Yeah, blame Dustil for that."

"He force you to come?"

I waved my hand lazily. "More-or-less; he made a good point or two about me needing a break from the stresses of being Uthar's student. Basically, it was dubious consent for me to come here."

"Ah." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, you do seem to need some time to yourself; you have been acting tense, lately."

"Define 'tense'."

He gave me an almost disapproving look. "You put Gizka saliva in Lashowe's drink for calling you a prude."

I chuckled at the memory of Lashowe screaming that she had been poisoned (apparently Gizka saliva actually had a taste). The look on her face was _priceless_! "Yeah, that was good! And it was entirely justified; she had been bothering me for the whole of the evening and she needed some smartening up."

"There could have been other solutions to that."

I made as neutral of a face as possible and rested my chin on my hand. "And what would you have done, then?"

When he had no response I nodded. "Mhm, yeah, exactly."

Another figure approached us and I looked to see a young man, whom looked to be either a volunteer or hired waiter, place two drinks on the table. Kel looked almost confused. "I ordered only one-"

"I saw your lady-friend come and sit with you so I thought two would be appropriate."

Before either of us could retaliate, he was off. I put my head in my hands. "I'm _not_ his lady-friend..." I muttered.

I picked up the glass, which contained the green-coloured beverage. "What sort of drink is this?"

Kel took a sip from his own drink. "It's called 'Dragon Scales', mainly because of the colour."

I took a small sip from the beverage and licked my lips. "Tastes really sweet!"

"Contains some Shuura fruit juice for flavour."

I suddenly realized how I had just taken a drink from a possibly-alcoholic drink and I swallowed. "Uh... Exactly how much alcohol-content is in here?"

Kel couldn't contain the small chuckle that escaped from his mouth. "Only about zero-point-zero-three percent; no need to worry. You'd have to down a fair amount of these in order for the alcohol to actually kick in."

I should've guessed that he wasn't one for alcoholic drinks. Shrugging, I took another sip of the drink, savouring the fruity taste of it. "So, I've studied up on the history of the Sith and I had found some very interesting things."

He leaned forward with interest. "Indeed?"

For a couple of hours Kel and I had discussed multiple things, Sith History being the main topic. We eventually strayed off to Sith politics, Sith laws, rules of the Academy on Dreshdae (or lack thereof) and then to personal relationships and the risks of them between students at the academy.

"You see, friendships can even be dangerous if you're a student or apprentice, not just romantic relationships! If your Master fears you're falling behind because of a certain individual, there can be consequences for either party."

I nodded my head, swallowing the last of my drink. "Exactly! And because they're Sith and they're also superiors, they can do as they please; there is almost no right or wrong amongst the Sith!"

"Exactly!"

"Excuse me, but is this seat taken?"

I suppressed a huge sigh as Dustil sat beside me, resting his hands on the table. "Well, it is _now_." I muttered.

"You two seem to be talking up a storm."

"Yeah, about history, politics and other things that do not need to be mentioned."

"Why don't they need to be mentioned?"

"Because they don't, mate."

Dustil waved at a waiter and as he wasn't looking I quickly mouthed to Kel, ' _Help me!_ '

He shrugged. ' _How?_ '

Dustil turned his attention back to me. "What drink do you prefer?"

I stood from the table and shimmied my way out from the opposite side. "Actually, I don't have time for that." I took Kel by the hand. "As I promised Kel that I'd dance before I left."

Dustil looked at me almost disbelievingly as I took Kel out onto the dance floor. "Seems like you saved yourself, there."

"Shut up," I released his hand and turned to him, "and dance."

The beat of the music was very energetic and I tried to dance as best as I could. Most of my dance moves weren't even really moves, just random sways of the hips, random leg and arm movements, but it always matched the beat of the song. Kel, at first, almost appeared as if he didn't know what to do but after observing my own movements he seemed to get the general idea.

I didn't realize it right then but I was allowing the natural flow of the music take me away, my mind fully focused on the beat. It was slowly carrying me, allowing me to center myself. For the first time in a while, I actually felt relaxed.

I felt someone grasp my shoulder and I was startled out of my almost catatonic state. "Harmony-"

Kel was cut off as several crashes were heard and upon looking around I saw the several glasses that had been laying around were suddenly broken and drinks that weren't being held were spilled on tables. "Didn't you see that?"

I looked at him, confused. "See what?"

He hesitated and leaned closer to me. "We need to talk about something, back at the Academy."

He lead me out from Mekel's home and we hastily headed back to Dreshdae. I wasn't sure what he needed to tell me but judging from how quickly he was trying to get back, I could tell it was something important.

/ / /

He closed the door behind us and he quickly turned to me. "I still don't know if you truly saw what happened back there, but I've seen that happen before."

"Seen what happen?"

He sighed, resting his chin on his knuckles. "When you were dancing, after a short while, a lot of the glasses that weren't being held by someone started floating around. After I grabbed your shoulder they all dropped."

I wasn't following what he was saying. "Okay, what does that mean?"

He sighed again. "That means you were the one who had controlled those glasses."

"Okay, I gathered that much, but what does that really _mean_? Like, what's the significance?"

"It means that you had gotten yourself into such a focused but relaxed state that you were able to move objects, but without focusing on the objects themselves."

For several moments there was nothing but dead silence. I cocked my head to the side. "Okay, what does that mean?"

He sighed, most likely out of annoyance. "I have only seen the most skilled of Sith Masters using that Force ability, but even then they had to train for years to enter such a state that they'd be able to move objects around them."

I still didn't understand. I had used a Force ability whilst not really using it; mindlessly using it, really. It just happened to be a Force ability that was rare.

"Harmony," grasped my shoulders and gently shook them, "you used the Force in a way that should be almost impossible for an inexperienced student!"

"So I just did something that is super rare; is that it?"

His hands dropped to his sides. "How are you not excited about this?"

I shrugged and sat down on his cot. "Well, it's just me being me; Using a rare and impossible Force ability," I shrugged, "Meh. But If I'm able to do a backflip or five push-ups in a row without sweating, I'll want to tell they whole galaxy."

Kel laughed then, a light and jovial laugh. "Well, then you may as well be you."

I smiled and then yawned. "Well, I best be off to bed. My initiation is tomorrow and I think I'll need all the sleep I can get."

He opened the door and allowed me out. "Have a pleasant sleep, Harmony."

"You too, Kel."

The door closed and I headed off to my own dorm, rubbing at my eyes. I wasn't really lying when I said I needed all the sleep I could get; between Master Uthar as well as an initiation that I didn't know what it was, I would need to be as energetic as possible for the trail ahead.


	15. Reunited

_Surrounded by crumbling metal I dodged and weaved between falling beams and jumped over crumbling floors. I needed to get out of here or I wouldn't live to see the next day!_

_I knew my way around, thanks to the 'security probe' that I had planted into the Estate. I knew where to go to get to the ship. I just prayed that the Hanger doors would be opened, or in the very least unlocked. If they weren't, I was as good as dead._

_I took a sharp left and was met with an open door, which was good enough, but the bad part was that there were already people in the Hangar._

_I recognized two of them, one of them being that Mandalorian I met in the Lower City. The second one I knew from the Cantina after that little scuffle. Almost immediately my blood began to boil at the sight of that man._

_Drawing an arrow I slowly crept up on him, just barely catching the word 'detonator'. I stopped, realizing that he had pulled out a Thermal Detonator; he intended to suicide bomb his way out of his current situation, not willing to accept defeat. I quickly ran through my options._

_One; I could make a break for the ship and learn how to fly the thing on my own, save my own skin. That'd be less risky. Two; I could take out Calo, save the Mandalorian and his companions and possibly make it out alive._ Possibly _._

_Mentally sighing I sheathed the arrow back in its quiver and set down my bow. There was no way I was about to let that Mandalorian die, not after what he had done for me. I leapt up and wrapped my arms around Calo's neck, pulling back roughly and making him drop the Detonator._

_I suppose I surprised him more than I thought, because it took him a fair while to even start with trying to get me to release his neck. I tightened my grip with one arm and with the other I reached down to my boot, hoping to reach my knife. I grabbed the hilt and pulled it out, ready to strike at his neck._

_Before I could deliver the lethal blow a deafening explosion surrounded us and a whole pile of beams came crashing down._

_I felt a sharp pain in my head. Then I felt nothing at all._

/ / /

I woke up with a start, cold sweat dripping down my head and neck. I tried to slow my breathing and I wiped the sweat from my forehead. Slowly, I brought my knees up to my chest.

"Third one, girl. You got to tell him when he gets back..."

No, that wasn't the first time I had had a memory, a vision of it, anyways. In fact, this was the third one. Canderous, in his hopes of having me regain my memory, had been holo-messaging me to check up on me and he would tell me stories of when he had had an encounter with me on Taris, the most prominent one being when I had taken out Calo Nord and prevented him from blowing everyone up. I had been holding out on Canderous, primarily because I still couldn't believe my supposed history in this world.

_**'You do not exist back there, Harmony. You only exist here.'** _

I tried my best to block Her out of my mind, not wanting to have what She's been saying get to my head. I didn't want to believe that I was no longer existent back home, I _couldn't_ believe it. I _wouldn't_.

Back home. I was beginning to forget home. It had been over a year since I had been sucked into this world and I was already forgetting things. _A lot_ of things, critical things. I was beginning to forget my own name, having to ask Danny "Who am I?' several times and he would always reply with the same name; "Katherine.". Despite his answer, I was always forgetting within the next few hours. I was beginning to forget who my family was, my friends, where I lived, what I did. The more I 'remembered' about here, the more I forgot about there. I didn't know if it was because of my time away from home, or because Malice might have been planning something, but either way, I wanted to go back.

Despite my desire to go back to my real home and family, I couldn't help but feel like I was putting Canderous through hell. He was trying so hard to make me remember things, which was as close to fatherly as he would possibly get. I could feel what he was feeling when he was trying to make me remember; frustrated, upset, angry, confused. He didn't know why I couldn't remember, why I can't seem to remember. It made me feel rather guilty that I was trying to keep my memories from my own father.

I jumped as someone banged on my door. "Harmony, open up!"

I sighed and hopped from my cot. I opened the door to Kodan, who seemed to be out of breath. "They're back."

"Who?"

He smacked the side of my head. "You know who, kid!"

I rubbed where he had smacked me. "Well, did you really have to run all the way here for it?"

"They brought someone with them."

I sighed. "Kodan, I'm not in the mood for you being cryptic; I just woke up and I haven't had a cup of caffa."

"Get dressed and not in your Sith garb; in your armor. It's someone that's important."

I looked into his steel eyes, looking for some form of jest or deception. He had a tendency to joke on more than one occasion, primarily in the mornings when I was still tired. Seeing that there was none I closed the door and quickly got dressed. I then grabbed my crystal, my new one and stuffed it into my small satchel.

I had gotten a new crystal as a form of an initiation present from Uthar. It, like the crystal I had gotten on Dantooine, had a form of a connection to me. But it felt cold to the touch and it gave me a sense of unease. However, the upside to the crystal was that it seemed to eliminate all essence of Light from me, so it was really handy in that sense.

I opened the door and walked out and Kodan immediately started power walking out of the Academy. It took me a fair bit of effort to keep up with him. "Oi, you gotta try and slow down-"

"No time."

We passed by several guards and students, who often gave me quizzical looks. They were probably wondering as to why one of my servants was basically lugging me around the Academy.

"Harmony."

Kodan and I both stopped in our tracks and I turned to address Uthar. I bowed slightly. "Where are you going?"

"I'm meeting someone."

"Meeting with that _boy_ , I presume?"

I flinched at his words. He had noticed how much time I had been spending with Kel and he didn't seem to like it too much. It was a growing concern for both him and I and I was worried that it may culminate into something lethal if Kel and I didn't keep on the lay-low.

"No, Master. I am meeting with someone else."

He stared me down for a few more moments. "Very well."

We both took off in a quick jog. I could feel that Kodan was somewhat nervous around the Sith Master and I didn't blame him; despite that I had gained more respect from Uthar, he still scared me out of my wits.

We had dodged several people in our attempt to get back to the _Ebon Hawk_ , bumping into more than a few people on our way. We were able to reach the ship in a fairly good amount of time and the instant I walked up the ramp I was gathered in a giant bear-hug.

"Oh my gosh, I missed you!"

I patted Mission on the shoulder and desperately tried to get some air. "Yes, I missed you too. Can you maybe let me go?"

She released her grip on me and she flashed a wide smile. "It's good to see you're not all vein-y and stuff, you know, being trained by Sith and all."

I chuckled at her small joke. "Don't worry; you haven't annoyed me that much, yet."

She crossed her arms. "Ha ha, funny."

Kodan placed a hand on my shoulder, guiding me through the _Hawk_. "Hey, what's the big rush, Kody?" I asked, still wondering who the 'important person' was. I honestly wasn't sure as to who it could be.

We reached the Cargo Hold and Kodan knocked on the closed door to which I crossed my arms. "Honestly, what's with all the secrecy?" I asked as the doors slid open. "What, are we transporting some important politician?"

Kodan wordlessly pushed me into the Cargo Hold where Bastila, Juhani, Winter, Canderous and Carth were. Winter approached me, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Sorry about all the secrecy, Harmony, but there is a good reason for it."

I looked up at the white-haired woman. "Well, you're still being rather secretive." She only pushed me forward. "I swear, if you all are just trying to pull my-"

I stopped mid-sentence as my eyes fell onto a Twi'lek, dressed in a beige top and loose-fitting brown pants. At first I did not recognize him out of his usual Jedi garb and I merely stared at him for a few brief moments before I finally realized who it was. "Oh my gosh!"

I dashed forward, gathering Zhar in a large hug. "Oh my gosh!"

"Alright, Harmony..."

"Oh my gosh!" I hugged him tighter.

He patted my back. "Alright..."

Taking a deep breath I released him from my grip and smacked his arm. "My gosh, what the hell are you doing here on Korriban?!"

"Harmony-"

I pointed to Bastila. "You're in more danger than she is being here, and she's the one with the Battle Meditation!"

He crossed his arms. "Perhaps if you were allow me to explain, then you would have your questions answered?"

I took another deep breath, nodding. "Alright, go ahead."

"In privacy."

The others all left the room, with haste, and I patiently waited for his explanation.

"I had heard from Winter that you would be undergoing training at the Academy here on Korriban and I knew that you shouldn't walk down this path alone."

"But, if the Council knew that you were coming to help me, doesn't that kind of blow our cover? Y'know, since you really weren't supposed to train me?" I asked.

He hesitated. "They had found out about me training you and they were displeased, yes, but when they heard about you being on Korriban, they had no qualms with me coming to help you."

"Ah..."

"There is a danger in me being present, I realize that, but it is necessary, especially with your current situation."

I nodded, understanding what he was meaning. "Well, now that you mention my _situation_ , I have had more than a few encounters with Malice..." He became very interested as I continued. "She first just started off with haunting me in my nightmares but then She moved on to haunting me in my daydreams, there has been a few times where I have hallucinated..."

"This is not good." Zhar said. "Korriban is a dark place, Malice is much stronger here."

I scoffed. "She called it Her 'personal playground', Zhar... It's like She's trying to taunt me but I don't know why..."

Silence passed between us. He was most likely trying to think about my current situation and the best course of action, seeing that he was a Jedi Master. Most always try to plan ahead with these kinds of things.

"The best that I can do is accompany you and continue to train you in the ways of the Force. Hopefully, that can be enough to keep Malice from gaining too much control over you."

"But isn't that dangerous? I mean, what if there's a student here at the Academy that trained back on Dantooine; wouldn't they be able to recognize you through the Force or by your face?"

"Yes, that is an issue but I am certain we can find a resolution."

We both stood there then, both thinking of a way around the current problems we were facing. I knew for a fact that there were a couple of former students from Dantooine on Korriban, Dak Vesser being one of them, and they would easily be able to recognize his face or recognize him through the Force. If Zhar was around me and students called him out, then we both would be in deep trouble.

I took a deep breath and wiped at my brow, my face paint rubbing off on the back of the glove. **I need to find a more permanent way of keeping the paint on...** I thought.

Wait... Paint!

"Well, I know a way to hide your appearance."

He looked at me with curious eyes. "And what would that be?"

I showed him the smudged paint. "We cover it all up."

He took a short breath and I smiled. "Follow me," I said, "it's time for a makeover!"

/ / /

"Are you quite finished?"

I clicked my tongue. "You know, Zhar, for a Jedi Master you seem to be lacking patience right now." I scolded him halfheartedly as I rubbed deep yellow paint onto his Lek. "Your skin is smoother than human or Zabrak skin, thus, the paint smears more than it covers. Besides, we still have the stripes and designs to do so sit tight."

I heard another knock at the door. "Hey, kid, are you still in there? It's been over two hours!"

I snarled at Canderous. "This is the fifth time you've bothered me! If you got something to say to me, love, then come in and say it."

The door immediately opened and Canderous came into the 'fresher, closing the door behind him. "So this is what you've been doing?" He asked me.

"Yes, what else do you think I've been doing?"

He didn't reply and just leaned against the wall, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "So, anything lately?"

I paused in my work, an internal battle waging in my head. I knew what he meant; he was wondering if any memories had started coming back to me. I was still at ends with myself, mentally arguing whether or not I should tell him. I still struggled with accepting hat this world was my world, but I felt horribly guilty for making Canderous seem so frustrated. He was my father; I shouldn't be torturing him like this.

I sighed and resumed my work on Zhar's Lek. "Yeah. About three of them."

The silence that followed my statement was more painful and frustrating than him yelling at me for not telling him. I was worried that he felt hurt or angry for me lying to him.

"What do you remember?"

I dipped my hand into the paint and moved Zhar's head so I could paint over his other Lek. "First one was when you and Veela had left me on Taris. With the people. I remember wanting to go with you, but you told me to stay with them."

"The other two?"

"Stop flinching." I scolded Zhar. "The second memory I had was when I had been bitten by a Rakghoul. You and a group were patrolling the Undercity and you came and picked me up. You took me to the Healer in the Upper City and he had some Rakghoul Serum available."

I washed my hands in the sink and then dipped my hand into some yellow-green paint and started drawing designs onto Zhar's face. "Third one was when I saved you, Winter and Carth from getting blown up by Calo."

I heard Canderous take a breath. "That's all you remember?"

I shrugged. "I can remember bits and pieces of before Taris. Small flashes of that life, but nothing more."

I stopped briefly to look at Canderous. "Look, I can talk to you more about those 'small flashes' another time. Right now, I'm a little busy and trying not to mess up this design." I turned my attention back to Zhar's face.

Canderous grunted and he left the 'fresher, the door closing behind him as he left. I shook my head and grasped Zhar's chin, tilting it upward. "Try not to move; this one is a bit tricky."

The designs I were painting into Zhar's face resembled those of Zentagles; small, intricate, but easy designs that I had been learning for several years. However, the hardest part was that I was using my fingers to paint the designs, which made it hard to paint the more finer details. I painted them into the bottom of his chin, then down his neck-line. "You look like you want to say something." I stated.

"That Mandalorian is your father, yes?"

"Yeah, so?"

"He is a human, though."

"How observant of you..." I dipped my hand into the yellow-green paint and moved behind him, painting more designs onto the top part of his head. "Yes, as is my mother, but there's a recessive gene in my mother's side. A Zabrak gene."

"Ah."

He flinched again as my finger neared his Lekku and I sighed in annoyance. "Okay, this is hard enough to do _without_ you moving."

"My apologies, Harmony, but how much knowledge do you have about Twi'lek anatomy?" He asked me.

I shrugged and started painting the stripes into his Lek. "I know that Twi'lek anatomy doesn't differ too much from human anatomy. I also know that Lekku is apart of the Twi'lek skull and grow from the crown of the skull."

"They are also sensitive when touched."

I froze and looked into the mirror to look into his eyes. I then slowly removed my finger from his Lek. "If you were so uncomfortable, you could've told me a wee bit sooner..."

"No, I am just informing you so you understand why I seem to be so 'squeamish'."

I shrugged and, carefully, continued my work and mentally scolded myself. For someone who was such a geek for the Star Wars world, I couldn't believe how I didn't know that about Twi'leks.

After severa;,awkward, minutes I was finally finished with the painting. I sighed and washed my hands, a feeling of satisfaction spreading through me. "Well, what do you think?" I asked him, stepping away from the sink so he could look into the mirror above it. Zhar stood from his seat on the canister and stretched, looking into the mirror as if he were seeing a ghost. He carefully inspected the paint like a jeweler would inspect a diamond. "I must say, you have a talent."

I felt a small swell of pride in my chest. "Well, as an artist I learn a great many techniques and designs. For the amount of time I was painting, you were the canvas."

He stepped back from the mirror and looked at me. "This covers my appearance well, but how are we to go about covering my Force trail?"

I flexed my stiff wrists. "Way ahead of you, Zhar." I dashed over to where I had set my satchel, digging into it and pulling out the crystal. "Think fast!" I tossed it to Zhar, who quickly stopped it in front of him with the Force. He carefully inspected it. "A Dark crystal..."

"Mhm." I nodded. "It covers up my Force trail pretty well, so it should cover yours up enough to at least be less noticeable."

He considered the crystal for another moment before snatching it from the air and pocketing it. "So I am to keep this on my person?"

"Unless you have a death wish, then yeah."

We left the 'fresher and I said, "Now, we need to dash back to the Academy. I have a friend I promised to meet up with."

"A friend?"

"A sensible one." I added. "He isn't like most Sith. If anything, he's more Light than Dark."

/ / /

We got through the more 'populated' part of the Academy with very few stares. Either the crystal was working or people just didn't pay too much attention to me. I was able to breath better once we reached the Library. I looked around and walked over to the farthest table and placed myself beside Kel. "Sorry I'm late. I was just occupied with something and took longer than I had intended."

e looked up from the Datapad and smiled. "No worries. While you were away I found some-" He stopped and stared over my shoulder. "Hold on, who is this?"

I looked back and up at Zhar, who looked completely clueless as to what he was supposed to do. "Sit down, mate!"

He took a seat at the end of the table and I turned my attention back to Kel. "This is Silais Doneeta, an accomplice of mine."

Kel nodded. "I see. Well, as I was saying, I had found some interesting history about the Ancient Sith!"

As Kel explained his findings to me my mind briefly wandered off into it's usual unknown territory. I couldn't help but fear that Zhar could be easily discovered. Sure, I changed his name and appearance, even his Force trail. But was that really enough to protect him from the darkness of Korriban? From Master Uthar? Just the thought of Uthar discovering Zhar was enough to send a chill down my spine. Who knew what Uthar would do to him or me if he found out.

I mentally shrugged. **We'll make it through, or die trying!**


	16. Left and Right

"You two are an interesting pair."

"Hm?"

"You and Kel." He repeated himself.

I shrugged and cracked my neck and knuckles. "What about us?"

Kel and I had talked with one another for several hours. Not that Zhar minded, to my surprise, as he was able to peacefully meditate during that long span of time. Danny had suddenly shown up at some point as well, stating that he figured I would need the extra muscle (basically meaning that shit could hit the fan now that I have a Jedi Master tailing me around the Academy). We had talked then for an extra hour or so before I had to leave for another one of Uthar's training sessions, something I was not too eager for now that Zhar was around.

"You two are just interesting, is all."

Danny scoffed. "You don't know the half of it."

I kicked at his feet. "You know full well you could've just gone and went to have a drink or something."

"Kodan wouldn't let me!" He whined, playfully kicking back at my own feet.

Looking back, I realized that that could be very true. Kodan did have the habit of playing "Mandalorian Uncle" and would often snap at Dan if he seemed to be too distracted or if he went off somewhere to do something, even if I told Dan to do it. I shrugged indifferently. "Well, not really my problem, bud."

Someone bumped harshly into my shoulder and I stopped in my tracks and whipped around. "Excuse you?"

I winced the instant I realized the person who I had bumped into was Lashowe. Of all the people I had to deal with, Lashowe was the last one on my list. I would've rather dealt with Mekel over her! She turned on her heel, a devil-may-care smirk on her lips. "Who, me?"

"You're the only other one here."

"Oh, you mean aside from your new consort?"

My blood boiled at her suggestion. Every time Lashowe happened to see me with either Dan or Kodan (or the both of them) with me, she would always seem to have some sort of sexually insulting quip ready for me. It had gotten on my nerves and now it was starting to grate on me. "One, he's probably _far_ too old for me, and two; seems like I'm getting more men in a matter of days when you can't seem to get one man in a matter of years."

She scoffed. "Maybe because I choose to."

 **Pathetic retaliation.** I thought. "Or maybe because you just don't have as good of a sex appeal as you think you do."

I briefly heard Danny snort and attempt to hold back a laugh as Lashowe's hands fell to her sides, her face a mixture of rage and menace. "Or perhaps because I don't whore myself out to any man who shows an interest in me."

I took a threatening step towards Lashowe but both Dan and Zhar held me back. "I know what you're thinking," Dan whispered, "but don't do it, for your own sake."

I growled under my breath and watched as Lashowe's face turned smug. "It's all you aliens are good for."

The instant those words left her lips Dan had released his grip on my arm, which I had assumed meant that I could pop her one. I was surprised to see him taking threatening steps towards Lashowe and something told me he was more than pissed off at her. He grabbed harshly at her wrist and twisted, causing her to wince.

"You think you're some tough bitch," he hissed at her, "beating Harmony down like that. You sound like nothing more than a stupid child who sat in the corner for too long."

"So typical for a slave to defend his master, like a pet hound to his owner." She looked over his shoulder to look at me. "You best keep your hound on a leash, or he'll be choking on it."

I sighed heavily and snapped my fingers at Dan. "Step aside."

"Are you just gonna-"

"I said stand down! Remember your place." I growled lowly, making him take a second glance at me. Despite his almost hurt expression, he knew what I had meant by my statement; the entire Academy knows Dan as my servant and nothing other than that, so he had to act the part as much as possible.

I could practically hear the smile in Lashowe's voice. "Yes, you probably know more than anyone that I only speak the truth. Now listen to your master and stand aside."

Danny stood there for a few more brief moments before releasing a sigh of resignation, then letting go of Lashowe's wrist and stepping back. "Good boy."

Blood boiling, hearts racing, eyes red and flaming. I couldn't let her get away with the things she had just said, the insults she had just thrown. _**'Show her who's in charge. Make her pay...'**_

Shaking Zhar's hand off of my arm I made a beeline for Lashowe and, reeling my fist back, delivered a strong punch to the side of her face. She stumbled heavily, grabbing the wall for support. There wasn't any crunching or cracking so I hadn't broken anything, but one thing was for sure, she would have one hell of a bruise on her face within the next day. "Remember this the next time you think it'd be a good idea to insult me or my companions."

Before she could retaliate I turned on my heel and power-walked down the hall, Danny and Zhar directly behind me. "I don't know if that was necessary, Harmony." Zhar chided.

"You haven't been around her for the past month," I snapped, "that was nothing compared to what she's said and done. So don't judge me."

"No, he's right." Danny quickened his pace so he was right beside me. "I've seen you when you're really pissed off, but never once have you ever hit someone, let alone punch someone, over stupid insults like the way you did just now."

I sighed and shook my head. "Yeah, well, it's about time that I started taking a bigger stand against people like her. Now get behind me or Uthar might start questioning you."

"This conversation isn't over." And with that he took his position behind me and I stood a little straighter, trying my best not to appear too disheveled or distressed. When I had seen Uthar in the training room he already looked unimpressed with me.

I bowed in front of my 'Master'. "Forgive me for my tardiness, Master, I had been held up."

"Indeed, and by Algwinn, I presume."

I couldn't hold back the impatient huff at his statement. " _No_ , Master, by Lashowe."

His eyebrow raised at that. Never once had I mentioned my issues with Lashowe to Uthar and with good reason, he didn't need to know. It would make me sound incompetent and like I couldn't handle her. "You have had no quarrel with her in the past-"

"I have, _many_ times, but I cared not to mention it to you. There has been no need to up until this point."

He considered me for a moment, causing me to shuffle my feet in nervousness. "Very well. See to it that she doesn't prove as a hindrance again, Velo."

"Yes, Master."

"Good. Now, we shall practice your Lightsaber form again." He handed me a double-bladed Lightsaber and I inspected it closely. I had a difficult enough time with a single-bladed 'Saber but a double-bladed one? They were much harder to master and it was beyond me as to why he would want to train me with one.

"That weapon of yours, a bow is it?" I gestured to the quiver on my back. "It is almost no different than a double edged sword or a double-bladed Lightsaber. And from what I've heard, you're rather skilled with it."

Upon finding the button for the 'Saber I pressed it. I flinched back as the 'Saber nearly burned my face and I yelped as the second part heated the metal of my leg. I heard Danny snort and I gave him my most lethal glance. **Shut up!** I thought. I then turned my attention back to Uthar. "Master, are you certain this is a wise idea?"

He activated his 'Saber and took on an offensive stance. "We shall see."

Without warning he lunged at me and I barely blocked his attack in time. The instant he retreated I placed both my hands onto the hilt of the 'Saber accordingly, almost like how one would hold a golf club. He attacked again and I blocked, this time with a little more finesse, and parried, delivering what could've been a lethal blow to his neck but he dodged, almost too quickly.

"You're too slow and your position is sloppy." He informed me, kicking his one foot in between mine to spread them farther. "Don't stand like a drunken man! And quicken your strikes; a Lightsaber is not something to be feared."

He attacked again and I managed to block the blow a little bit faster than I previously had. However, the sudden pressure from the blow made me stagger back which left me completely vulnerable. Uthar then kicked at my gut, making me double over.

The armor, once again, took the major brunt of all blows but it didn't help me whenever someone kicked at my back, chest or stomach. If anything, the soft metal would often dig into my body and make it seem like I had been run over by a truck. I needed to get that fixed, somehow.

A streak of red flashed above me and I lifted my 'Saber just in time to block his own from striking my face. I brought my legs up and kicked him in the chest, allowing me time to roll away and take a defensive stance. Uthar was quick to recover and lunged at me again, this time attacking with a flurry of strikes and slashes, most of which I was barely able to block or dodge in time.

It continued like this, me often being on the defensive and Uthar being on the offensive. He was merciless in his attacks, never allowing me time to recover or to prepare myself for the next attack. My lungs burned, my limbs started to feel like lead and a thick layer of sweat coated my brow. I wanted so desperately for this session to end, to just collapse and rest. But it wasn't over until my Master said it was.

"Fix your form, you're getting sloppy again!"

A growl escaped my throat at his statement. Most of his instruction had been more criticism than anything and it had started to annoy me, irritate me even. It had gotten to me very easily when we first had started training and now it was coming to a peak.

 _ **'Take advantage of that.'**_ I heard that little voice inside me say. _**'Use it, control it.'**_

I suddenly felt rejuvenated, like I had been hit with a Stim. The strength returned to my arms, the burn in my lungs disappeared, the ache in my spine completely gone.

With a voice that wasn't my own, I hissed, " _Yes, Master._ "

Then nothing.

* * *

_**Danny** _

She was really tired, I could tell. I've seen her physically exhausted before, not just here but back home on Earth. She always would overwork herself and she always ended up completely drained and I would usually make her stop. But I didn't have that option, in this case.

That Twi'lek guy, Zhar, he and I had exchanged more than a few worried glances. His was out of concern for his Padawan, mine was out of concern for my best friend. Uthar seemed like a relentless kind of guy and he didn't stop unless he was forced to or until he himself was exhausted. Or whenever he felt like it. I couldn't ever really tell with him.

"Fix your form, you're getting sloppy again!" He snapped at her.

 **Well yeah, she's getting tired!** I thought to myself.

I could hardly hear what Katherine - or _Harmony_ \- had said and she suddenly changed. It was a subtle change, but I could feel it happening. I didn't know how, but I just felt it. Her posture changed, she wasn't breathing heavily anymore and her grip on her Lightsaber became tighter. She then let out this shout and started swinging her Lightsaber at Uthar, and he looked almost surprised by her newly found vigor. I got up from my seat on the canister and I could only watch, with growing concern, as she started to push Uthar back.

This wasn't her. I didn't know why or how, but that wasn't her. She never fought with this much determination, _ever_ , so just that fact alone set red flags going up in my head. What was worse was that she looked like she intended to kill the guy.

"I feel it as well." Zhar said.

"Something isn't right with her."

I heard Uthar shout, or yelp was more like it, and I looked over to see that Harmony had left a good mark on Uthar's leg and he had stumbled. Harmony then delivered a strong kick to his jaw and sent him to the ground.

Yup, something _definitely_ wasn't right with her.

She breathed heavy breaths as her Lightsaber pointed at Uthar, stopping just above his throat. There was this gleam in her eyes, an evil one, something that said she wanted to deliver that final strike, but something else was holding her back.

"Ask, and one shall receive." She had said.

I was surprised when Uthar laughed heartily. "Well done!"

Harmony deactivated her Lightsaber and Uthar picked himself up from the ground, the wound on his leg seeming to not bother him at all. "We shall continue this tomorrow."

She handed the Lightsaber back to him, albeit slowly. She looked just as tired as she did before she starting beating his ass and, instead of dashing out of the training room like she usually did, she just stood there.

"Dismissed, Velo."

I knew the look on her face and I ran up and caught Harmony as she fainted. Well, _passed out_ is more like what had happened to her. "Shit..." I cursed. I then looked up to Uthar. "Where's the med facility or something?"

"We have none as there is no need for one."

I held back another curse and scooped Harmony up in my arms. I ran out of the training room as fast as I possibly could with Zhar close beside me. "I'm gonna kill her if she dies!" I said aloud.

/ / /

_They were really quiet but I could tell they were fighting. **Why are they fighting?**_

_I sneaked around the corner and watched quietly. Mom looked like she was crying, Dad too. I never liked it when they cried, it made me really sad when they did._

_"I don't want it to be this way either, but you know how many of the others will react if they found out." Dad said._

_"They might not care!"_

_"You've seen how Jagi acted towards those aliens; he hates them."_

_I moved quickly under the table when they weren't looking and listened closely. Uncle Kody says I'm good at being stealthy so that's how I wasn't seen by Mom or Dad._

_I jumped when I heard something hit the table. "You know I would never let him touch our little girl!"_

_"I know, but what makes you think you could stop him and his group from hurting her?"_

_I was starting to become scared. Why would someone want to hurt me? People get hurt when training but that's not on purpose. I tried to stop myself from crying but I couldn't and I sniffled a little bit._

_Mom and Dad must have heard me because they stopped fighting and Dad knelt down and looked at me under the table. "Out from under there,_ Ord'ika _."_

_I nodded and crawled from under the table. "I heard you guys and I couldn't sleep."_

_Dad sighed and I heard my Mom sniffle. I went and hugged her. "I don't like it when you cry..."_

_She patted my back, like she always did whenever I was sad or when she was sad. "I know, Harmony. Canderous and I were just having a small disagreement, is all."_

_I nodded, although I didn't really understand what she meant. I just continued to hug Mom, not ever letting go of her._

/ / /

My eyes shot open and were met with a pair of deep brown ones. And a pair of grey ones, and another pair of grey ones, and a pair of purple ones.

I groaned and looked around to see I was back on the _Ebon Hawk_ and Zhar, Dan, Kodan and Canderous were all standing around me. "The hell are you all standing around for?" I hissed.

"What do you remember?"

I covered my eyes with my arm and sighed heavily. "I was training with Uthar. You and Zhar were with me. I remember starting to get angry at Uthar, then nothing. Is that when I passed out?"

"You entered a blind rage," Zhar explained to me, "and you had attacked Uthar rather ruthlessly. It wasn't until you had been dismissed that you had lost consciousness."

I sighed again. "A blind rage?" I then snorted. "Last time I entered one of those was when I was twelve. And I knew full well what I was doing."

"Short-term memory loss, then?" Danny suggested.

 **Memory loss... Losing memories, yet gaining them. Mandala effect? Or something darker?** "Who am I, Dan?"

Dead silence. Never once had I asked the question when others were around, but this time I was desperate. "Now?" He asked.

"Dan, who am I?" I repeated, removing my arm from my eyes to look at him.

He stared at me for a moment, almost with a pained expression. He then shook his head. "You've asked me over two dozen times, there's no point in trying to remind you anymore."

I could only watch as Dan left the Med Bay. I shook my head and growled, muttering obscenities under my breath. "Zhar, Kodan, could you guys maybe leave so I can talk to Canderous for a bit?"

They both left almost instantly, Zhar hesitating at the door if only for a moment. Once I knew they were out of ear shot I breathed out, "I just had another memory."

I could hear him shift in his spot. "Oh?"

I sat up and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. "Yeah. I don't know how old I was, but I'm guessing I was pretty young in this one. You and Veela were arguing about something."

Canderous sat beside me on the bed. "Maybe sit on the other end so it's less likely to break." I joked.

"What were we arguing about?"

I sighed and shook my head (for what felt like the umpteenth time). "I'm guessing it was about me, but I didn't get much from it. Something about Jagi hating aliens and such and Veela not letting anyone hurt me."

I looked up to his grey eyes, which were focused entirely on me. Almost like he was trying to burn a hole in me, or something like that. "That was around the time you started to show signs of a Zabrak gene. You were about eight or nine."

"Oh."

**But Zabraks don't start growing their horns in until around puberty. It couldn't have been horns that were growing in.**

"What kind of signs?"

He shrugged. "No horns or anything like that. But your eye colour was turning more of a purple and not staying blue. You were also getting these markings of yours on your face and arms."

Stranger than getting horns on my head. Zabrak eye colours never changed and the markings never grew in, they were given to a Zabrak who went through their rite of passage. It freaked me out but also intrigued me that I had gone through these physical changes.

"And I take it that Jagi was starting to notice those changes?"

He nodded. "Yeah, he called me out on it at one point."

I was still feeling confused. It couldn't have been just Jagi that caused them to put me into hiding. There had to have been something more. "Is that why you guys put me on Taris?"

"There's more to it, but I'd rather keep it to myself."

I crossed my arms. "You can't even tell your own daughter those things?"

"I can, but I won't."

"I'll get it out of you at some point, Canderous."

He snorted and ruffled my hair. "I doubt it, _Ord'ika_."

I shoved him playfully and then stood from the bed. "Alright, well, I need to go and talk to Winter about something. Then I'm off to the Academy."

"How are you able to survive in that hell hole?"

I smiled. "Learned from the best."

I left the Med Bay and walked into the Main Hold, where T3, Juhani and Zaalbar usually would hang around. "Good to see you two are still sticking around." I looked down at the little droid and patted his head. "You especially, little guy."

He beeped at me in delight.

"Now, would any of you guys know where Winter is?"

Juhani spoke first. "I would not suggest disturbing her right in this moment, Harmony."

I nodded. She was probably talking with Carth. "Ah. Well, if you could hand her this whenever she's finished, that'd be great." I pulled out the Sith Medallion from my pouch and tossed it at her, which she caught with a feline-like grace. "Of course."

I smiled and nodded.

"Also, Harmony, Master Zhar said he wished to speak with you before you left."

"Where is he?"

Juhani pointed down to the port hallway. "Port Dormitories."

"Thanks."

I walked briskly to the dorms, wondering what it would be that he wanted to talk to me about. Other than the punch I threw at Lashowe and my supposed 'blind rage' I went into when I was training with Uthar, there couldn't have been much else he wanted to talk with me about. Well, he didn't even have to talk about those two little events that happened, considering I wasn't even a Jedi, so I didn't have to follow that ' _There is no emotion_ ' bull-crap.

I found him meditating on the floor of the dorms, well, technically _above_ the floor. He was in such a focused trance that he was actually levitating off of the floor. Sure, I could levitate things around me but I couldn't make myself levitate.

"Mind teaching me that sometime?" I asked.

"This is more of an advanced technique, Harmony." He said as he slowly came back into contact with the floor, his eyes slowly opening. "Come, sit."

I did as I was told and sat in front of him, my legs crossed. "So, what is it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"You truly don't remember anything before you passed out?"

I shook my head. "No, not really. Did I do something wrong?"

"No. Not in the eyes of your Sith Master."

He closed his eyes again and then touched his hand to my forehead. "Relax your mind, focus on one thing..."

Again, I did as I was instructed. I tried my best to control the flow of my thoughts. **The flow of water, the flow of music, the flow of dance and art. It all seems the same, but they each have their own rythm, their own** flow **. All of which are natural in their own way. They all have one thing in common; their flows can be either soft and slow or hard and f-**

My thoughts were interrupted by a sudden flash of images and sounds in my mind, to which I shuffled back from Zhar. Slowly, the memories that should've been forgotten were starting to be remembered, and I gasped at the things I saw.

"Malice has become stronger. You have lingered for too long here." Zhar told me.

"Just a little slip..." I said, despite my current fear and horror.

"Indeed, but how long until that slip turns into a tumble? And how long until that tumble turns into a fall? Once the Dark Side has been tasted, it is hard to control your appetite for it."

I sighed, almost in disgust. "Look, you can save that Jedi crap for Bastila; she'd eat that stuff up! But don't be feeding it to me. I'm not a Jedi."

He almost looked like he was becoming impatient with me, which was rare coming from him. "No, that you are not, but I do not wish to see any harm coming onto you because of Malice."

"And what could She do to hurt me other than make me an insomniac?"

"You have already seen just a sliver of what She can do. Malice is almost nothing short of a demon; she could twist your mind, destroy who you are, make you ignorant to the ways of right and wrong. She can turn you into something just as dark as She is. I do not wish for this to happen to you."

One look in his eyes, and there was no doubt that he was being sincere in his concern. "Isn't that why you're here, though?" I asked him.

"It is difficult to protect you when we are among Sith."

He had a point. Lashowe was always right on top of the company I kept, Dustil was almost the same but he respected my companion choices, Mekel was a full-on prick and Kel didn't care much for how my companions acted around me, but rarely was I ever around him without prying eyes around and my companions with me all at the same time. I also couldn't exactly bring him _everywhere_ I went. If I were to _slip_ again, what were the chances that Zhar would be able to step in before I did something that I couldn't ever forgive myself for? What were the chances that he could bring me back to myself, what were the chances that he could prevent me from slipping at all? I swallowed hard at the realization. "Alright, I see your point. But what else am I to do? I can't just stop going to the Academy, not with you-know-who as my Master."

Zhar sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I realize this, Harmony."

**Why does it seem like I'm getting hit left and right with bad news and occurrences today?**

Silence passed between us for a few moments, a silence that I was (for once) comfortable with. I was allowing him time to think, time to consider all of the options we had. It also let me think back to my violent moments earlier during the day.

Zhar was possibly right in his assumption that Malice had been getting stronger. It always seems that whenever I show even the smallest signs of anger, She was always right there to taunt me, to goad me into hurting someone. I never really acted on her taunts until today, when I had punched Lashowe. And, judging from the memories I had been shown, when I had been training with Uthar.

I cleared my throat. "So, ah, when Lashowe had been taunting me-"

"That woman?"

I snorted. "I hardly call her a woman and more like a child, but yes, her. Anyways, I had kind of just assumed your age in that situation..."

"And why is that of such importance?"

I shrugged. "I dunno, I just thought that I might've offended you or something."

"Not in the slightest. Although, I'm not quite as old as you believe me to be."

Zhar and I probably had very different definitions of 'old' but I was willing to humour him. "Oh? And just how old are you, then?"

"I am within my late twenties, Harmony."

The smile on my face disappeared and I fixed on him one of my most disbelieving stares. He couldn't be in his twenties; not with how the rest of the Council looked! "I am so sorry, but why is it that you're the only rock out of the group of fossils, then?"

He almost looked to be disapproving of my comparison but he let it slide. "I was the youngest Jedi to be knighted when I was being trained. Believe me or don't, but I had only joined the Council a few small years prior to when you and Winter had come to Dantooine."

"You mean me and Revan?"

I noticed Zhar cringe. "Yes, Harmony, I understand you're still upset about that-"

I held up my hand. "No, not as much as I was as that discussion was sort of a spur in the moment sort of thing."

"I see."

I scooted closer to Zhar. "So, mind telling me a bit more about before you ended up on the Council?"

"You do not have to be back at the Academy anytime soon?"

I shook my head. "Nope, not until tomorrow."

"Very well."


	17. Hell Breaks Loose

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much Liz for your words!! Truly, it's people like you that make me want to keep going with this story. I got some harsh and negative feedback back on fanfiction.net, and that kinda discouraged me. Regardless, thanks so much!!

I never knew that Zhar could be such a story teller! He had the gift of being a charismatic teacher and leader, of course, but I never knew he could spin tales so well. He had first started to tell me of when he had just joined the Academy on Dantooine, which he was going to just brisk by but after I requested it, Zhar had started to go into more detail of his adventures (even some occasional misadventures) when he was a youngling and when he was a Padawan.

I had just sat there the whole time, content with listening to his voice as he spoke. I had completely lost track of time, not that I cared too much, but I had apparently dried the patience of one particular crew member.

I felt someone grab my shoulder and I jumped, placing a hand over my chest. I then looked up to see a very pissed off Carth Onasi. "Oi, what gives?" I asked him.

"When were you planning on telling me that Dustil was on Korriban?"

My face fell and my blood ran cold. **How could he know that I knew...?**

I saw movement and I looked past his legs to see Danny standing in the doorway, his face looking like that of a kicked puppy's. I glared and he shrunk back. "Sorry..."

I smiled sarcastically. "Sure you are, mate..."

"I'm serious! It just slipped out that we saw him-"

"Shut up, Dan."

He closed his mouth and nodded. "Right, I'll just... Right." He dashed out from the doorway and I shook my head, my attention brought back to the raging pilot.

"Look, if you didn't know about him it would be best you didn't hear where he was from me."

Carth glared at me, a glare that used to be one I would shrink away from. But not this time. This time, I stood my ground. "That's a pathetic excuse."

I looked over to Zhar for some sort of assistance, but he merely shrugged. "Whatever is happening here, I am not part of it." He stood from his spot on the floor. "You must learn to face the people that trouble you without the help of another."

My mouth hung open in disbelief as my Master walked out of the Dorm. I never would've expected that from him, not in the slightest. I then growled and stood up, shaking Carth's hand from my shoulder. "Look, I'm being serious. If you heard from me that Dustil was a Sith, you would've just charged into the Academy, something we can't afford. As Danny said a month ago, you're poster-boy for the Republic."

"I had a right to know." He replied.

I looked up and into his eyes. "Look, how do you think Dustil would react if his father, whom of which he hasn't seen in over five years, suddenly popped up unannounced at the _Sith Academy_? Do you honestly think he'd be happy?"

When he didn't reply I scoffed. "See, you _haven't_ thought this through. Dustil has been in the care of the Sith for over half a decade. He is-"

"Shut up."

"-Is broken down into-"

"The Dustil I know would never allow-"

" **What makes you think he is the same Dustil**?!" I shouted at him. Remembering my temper, I took a breath and put my hands on my hips. "Listen, I'm not going to try and argue and yell at you over something you won't understand. If you want me to, I can take you to see Dustil."

Carth considered my words for a moment, looking like he was almost struggling. This surprised me, seeing that he was a 'man of action'. I thought that he would've been more than eager for me to take him to see Dustil, but no; instead he was actually thinking about it.

After a few brief moments he nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, that'd be helpful."

I shuffled my feet. "Alright, well, I think it'd be best if Winter came along as well. Just in case."

"Hold on, what do you mean 'just in case'?"

**In case shit decides to hit the controversial fan.** I ignored him and walked past him. "Where is she anyways?" I muttered. "Oi, Winter!"

I dashed out before Carth could say anything else to me, conveniently bumping into Winter. She pushed me back but held onto my shoulders. "What's the rush, hon?"

"Just the woman I needed to see-"

"HARMONY!"

I held back the cringe. "One, I need you to keep your Pilot at bay and two, I'm taking both you and him to Dustil."

I quick dashed past Winter and towards the Garage as I heard Carth coming from the corridor. "Harmony, what did you mean by that?"

"Gotta go and get my things!" I shouted behind me.

The instant I was inside the Garage I leaned against the wall and heaved a breath. "I don't see how she can handle him!"

"Who?"

I gestured back to where I had come from. "Winter and Carth; I don't see how she can handle him! He's such a handful."

Kodan chuckled. "That's what I said to Veela when she and Canderous were married."

"And what'd she say in reply to that?"

He looked up from his blasters and said, "'Simple; I don't. He handles himself, I'm only there to hold him back if he goes too far.'"

I nodded. "Makes sense, I suppose."

/ / /

"Wait, so you knew as well?!"

I cringed both physically and mentally as Carth snapped at Winter. I was beginning to question if it was a good idea to tell Winter that Dustil was my challenger. Could've been for the best, or it could've been a lapse in judgment. Either way, Winter and I were facing the consequences of keeping that fact away from Carth.

"Yes, but I don't think it was my place to tell you."

"What difference does that make?!"

I sighed and turned around, carefully walking backwards. "Look, if you two keep it up you may end up not getting into the Academy. So hush up!"

I turned back around and rolled my eyes as Carth scoffed at me. I started to tense up, however, as we approached the guard. I nodded and he nodded back, but he suddenly held Carth back. "Hold on..." He said.

I panicked and looked at Winter, he held up a finger. She approached the guard and waved her hand. "The man can pass."

After a moment, the guard released Carth. " _'The man can pass...'_ "

She waved her hand again. "You will forget you ever saw him..."

He hesitated again but then repeated, " _'I will forget I ever saw him...'_ "

Winter smiled and put her hand back down and Carth passed by the guard, to which I released the breath I was holding. "Good work."

She shrugged. "A little trick I learned."

I led them through the various corridors of the Academy, telling them bits and pieces about the Academy and what things were like. I suddenly stopped as we reached the corridor where Dustil's room would be. "Carth, whatever you do, try and hold your temper."

He didn't bother responding to me so I walked down the corridor, passing by an empty room. For whatever reason, the empty room just made me more nervous. Maybe if these rooms had doors, like some of the other rooms did, I would feel a bit more comfortable. Then again, that probably would still make me just as nervous as I was in that moment.

We rounded the corner and I almost immediately bumped into Dustil.

He chuckled and looked down at me. "Take a wrong turn somewhere, darling?"

"Um..."

Despite myself, I couldn't help but blush once again as he called me 'darling'. Granted, he was only flirting with me and, ultimately, trying to get into my pants but it was still cute when he called me that.

I felt like my whole face was blushing as he pushed some of my hair from my face and helped me get back up straight. "Then again-"

"Dustil?"

I cringed for the umpteenth time and backed away from Dustil, who looked as confused as ever. "Dustil, is that you?"

I shrunk back farther as Dustil's face turned from that familiar flirty face into something much more darker. "Oh, lovely. It's father..."

I pointed at Dustil. "There he is, now I'm gonna go."

"Hold on, you _know him_?! How could you know about him and not say something?" Dustil snapped at me.

I sighed and looked up to the ceiling and raised my hands. "Why me?" I asked.

"Just how did you manage to get into the Academy, anyways?" Dustil asked them, seeming to no longer be interested in my affiliation with them. "Through the front doors." Winter replied.

"Cute. Now, Harmony, just how interested would Master Uthar be to know just who he has in his web. Unless you've switched sides, Father?"

I raised a finger. "I wouldn't count on that too much, one. And two, leave Uthar out of this; I have enough problems in my life."

"So you consider our Master to be a problem?"

"A _hindrance_ , really, but I meant with you, Mekel and Lashowe on my ass all the time, I have more than enough problems without Master Uthar knowing who I have affiliations with."

He shrugged indifferently, then turned his attention back to Carth. "Just why are you here, father? Not for me, I hope. Why couldn't Harmony have just killed you and your friend and spared us this little reunion?"

I then pointed my finger at him and took a threatening step towards him. "Okay, lay off! I know you're pissed but that doesn't mean you can add me into the mix."

"Shut up!" He snapped at me.

Carth was looking very conflicted. "Dustil, what the hell are you even talking about? I thought that you were dead..."

Dustil glared at him. "Well, it's too bad you didn't still think that. Or did you really think that I would be happy to see you?"

He turned back to me and gestured to Carth. "Look, Harmony, it's my father, come to rescue me at long last! Sure, he may have left mother and I to die on Telos, but that doesn't matter!"

My heart broke at his statement. Not only was he mocking his father, but he was also (unintentionally) mocking himself as well as his own mother. Being so sarcastic and yet so cruel, it was pulling at the only heartstrings I had left in this situation.

"No, I didn't abandon you, Dustil!" Carth tried to explain to him. "The task forces just arrived too late! Telos was in ruins, and your mother..." He shook his head and I could see he was trying to hold back tears. "I looked for you, Dustil. I _swear_ I looked everywhere for you-"

Dustil scoffed. "Oh, save it! You had abandoned us long before that! We had been all alone during the wars, and even when you came back you _still_ didn't stay!"

"I didn't have a choice, I was needed!"

"Oh yeah? Well you were needed at home, too! You were needed when mother got sick, you were needed when the Sith had arrived at Telos, and you were needed when the bombing started and I got captured!"

I finally decided to step in. "Dustil, come on, you know that doesn't matter. It's all in the past..."

He sighed. "You know what? You're right. It doesn't matter anymore. I've got a real family here, a family that cares about me. I don't need you."

I raised my hands again. **That is** not **what I meant.**

I slowly scooched beside Winter as Dustil and Carth continued to argue. I leaned towards her and whispered, "This is sort of why I didn't want to say anything to him..."

She nodded. "Mhm, I know what you mean."

I jumped as Dustil shouted at his father. "GET OUT! Get out before I tell all the Sith that you're here!"

I then scooched towards Carth and grabbed his shoulder. "Look, I warned you about this. We should just leave."

Carth shook my hand off. "Shut up! Stay out of this."

It was at that moment, as those words came from his mouth, that I should've just shut my own. I remembered how those words were the ones that would trigger Dustil into a fit of rage. It was also in that moment, that I actually felt afraid. For myself as well as for both Dustil and Carth.

I looked over and saw Dustil's expression darken. "So, is that all you do now? Just give out orders?"

I sighed. "Dustil, please-"

"Shut up!" He snapped at me. "Well, don't think that you can just show up here, after all of these years, and expect to give me orders the way you have. I'm not your solider, and I sure as hell am not your son!"

"Dustil, just stop it!" His father pleaded. "I won't let you go on the way you are! Just what have they done to you?"

"They gave me _power_ , old man! More than you have ever given me!" Dustil shook his head, a pained expression on his face. "You didn't even give me so much as a second's notice."

I stepped in again, hoping that I could defuse the situation. "Dustil, just stop feeling so sorry for yourself! He wasn't always there, but he was still _there_ for you! He fought for you and your mother, to keep you safe!"

Dustil scoffed. "He only fought for himself. For fame and glory."

I was beginning to feel it again, that anger starting to swell up inside me. Rising, bubbling, expanding, like lava. Waiting to culminate into an explosion, to be released, to expel the energy it contained. Needed to keep it at bay. Needed to stay in control.

He turned back to Carth. "Well, the Sith can learn to do that too. We learn to fight..." He reached for his Lightsaber. "And to _kill_. Care to see what I learned, 'father'?!"

Carth backed up. "No, Dustil don't. I don't want-"

"Too late, old man! You should've left me when you had the chance!"

The next moments were all a blur. A flash of red, a shout of pain, the cracking of bone, a spray of blood. I growled, heaving a deep breath. I shook my head in an attempt to clear it. I looked to see I had Dustil by the throat, his deactivated 'Saber in my hand and pointed at his skull. His nose oozed with blood and his eyes still sparked with an inner rage. I shook my head again, but kept my grip on Dustil's throat. "Turn on your Lightsaber." I leaned in close to his face. "' _I dare you._ '"

Without much hesitation, Dustil released his 'Saber and I released his throat, stepping back as he heaved heavily. " _Why_ would you do that?!"

I knelt back down so I was at eye level with him. "You listen here, and you listen well." I pointed to Carth. "Your own father came back for you, in one of the most possibly dangerous places he could be in. He risked his own life to come and find you. He understood the risks, he understood that you would reject him, _hate_ him, even. And yet he still took those chances and came looking for you."

He scoffed.

I slapped him across his face. "Do you not see what that all means?!" I shouted at him. "He risked life and limb _for you_. Do you not understand that, even after all these years, your father still loves you?!"

Taking Dustil's Lightsaber, I stood and wiped at the blood that streaked my armour. "Until you can act like a man rather than a boy, I'm taking this."

He tried getting up. "You are _not_ -"

"Talk with your father like a civilized human, _then_ talk to me. Then you'll get your 'Saber back."

Before he could even come up with a response, I turned on my heel and walked away from him, that anger still burning inside me. I stopped beside Winter. "Keep an eye on them for me, yeah?"

She nodded, remaining silent. I nodded in thanks and I left the three of them alone.

I gripped Dustil's Lightsaber tightly, my knuckles turning white from the pressure. "That stupid _boy_...!" I growled under my breath.

Despite getting that load off of my chest, despite saying what had needed to be said, I still felt horrible, like I should've said more. And I may not have done much other than shove Dustil into a stone wall, but it felt like I had just fought a hundred battles.

Maybe it was because I somehow felt guilty. Or maybe it was because I just tried to fight a battle that wasn't mine. Maybe I should've just let things play out and I should've stayed silent about it.

Either way, I needed to do something to get those thoughts out of my mind. Before a certain someone decided to make an appearance again.

And I knew just the person I needed to talk with.

/ / /

"So, do remind me, what happened between you and Dustil?" Kel asked me.

I groaned and sipped at my drink. "I'll make it short; I took Dustil's father to see him, shit goes down, I try to diffuse the situation, said shit then hits the fan, and now Dustil has a bloody and possibly broken nose and I have his 'Saber to make sure he doesn't try to make the fan spin and the shit to fly everywhere."

He shook his head sharply. "You two have started to get along quite well. I'm very surprised you actually mustered up the courage to hit the man."

" _Boy_." I corrected. "A man doesn't try and belittle his own father after so long and then attempt to murder him."

"Need I remind you, this _is_ the Sith capital of Korriban."

I just mumbled and downed the last of my drink. "I dunno if I should be glad that you introduced me to this drink or not..."

He laughed. "And why is that?"

I slipped the bartender another credit chip and he slid me another glass of the green beverage. The same beverage that I had drank with Kel at the party. "Because I know that there's almost no alcohol in this drink and I feel like I can have as much as my heart desires. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing."

"In small quantities, yes, it is fine. But drink too much and it'll have just as strong of a kick as Tarisian Ale."

I shrugged off his warning. "You underestimate my liver, dear Kel." I flipped another chip as the bartender passed by and he slipped another drink to me. I then slid it over to Kel. "Now, I don't want to drink alone, so here. Talk to me about something other than Sith, and we'll see where it takes us."

He raised his glass. "Alright, then."

/ / /

I laughed heartily, nearly spilling my drink in the process. "So, hold on, you actually caught them snogging and Lashowe just had a fit?"

He laughed along with me. "More like she had a fit of rage, she had outright punched me and nearly cut my throat!"

I choked. " _Seriously_?! She has more of a temper than I do! And that's saying something, mate!"

We both laughed heartily, then, almost as if there were nobody else there. Kel didn't want either of us to be drunk by the end of the day, considering that we both had to go to our Masters the next day, so he would limit the drinks we had. Of course, nobody could really tell if we were drunk or not, as we were both rather enjoying ourselves and the time away from the Academy.

I wiped a tear from my eye. "My ribs hurt now, because of you!"

"Not sure if that's a bad thing or not..."

"And why is that?" I asked.

Kel just shrugged. "Well your ribs ache, which can be pretty bad. On the other hand, I've never heard you laugh this much before." He cocked his head and cracked a small, sweet smile. "I like it when you laugh..."

My smile disappeared almost immediately after that statement. Never before had Kel made a statement like that; the first time I had met Kel I tried shooting him down, thinking that he was just trying to get into my pants like the rest of the boys. That was the total opposite of his agenda and he had told me that the last thing I needed was another boy pawing at me. He said that I was different compared to most Sith, he somehow knew that, even under Uthar's 'care', I could be trusted. In the time that I had known Kel, he had never tried to flirt with me, never even really revealed if he liked me in that manner or not. Well, right in that moment I couldn't tell if he was trying to flirt or just saying that he enjoyed my laughter. "Uhm... Did you happen to have too much to drink?"

He shrugged again. "I wouldn't think so. Besides, I'm being serious; never once have I heard you _actually_ laugh." He then brushed a loose lock of my hair back. "I truly do enjoy it."

**Okay,** definitely **trying to flirt!** Red flags started going up in my brain and I shied away from Kel. "As I said before, I'm not interested in _that_."

He was aware of what I was talking about, that much I knew. He shook his head. "Neither am I."

His green eyes stared straight into mine, not daring to falter. He was being honest with me, but regardless of that, I still wasn't interested in a relationship within the Academy. "Kel, I'm not interested _at all_. I don't want to risk you getting killed; Uthar already has suspicions and I have been late to his lessons more than once."

"As long as it doesn't prove a hindrance to your training, he will not care."

"But he could also use you as some sort of pawn if need be."

"I doubt it will ever come to that."

I tried shuffling back, seeing that he had been leaning in closer with every statement I made. "Kel, it's dangerous!"

"I don't mind danger."

"Are you two done?"

We both jumped at the sound of a third voice, me more than Kel. I scooted back farther from Kel, somehow thinking that would make us both look a lot less like we were trying to 'turn things up'. "I was done a while ago, Dustil, and the interruption would've been a lot nicer a lot earlier."

Dustil rolled his eyes and then held out his hand. "My Lightsaber."

I stroked at my chin in a thoughtful manner. "Hm, let's see..." I then crossed my arms. "No."

Dustil was definitely not in the mood for my sarcasm, seeing that his face grew more and more darker with every second. "You said that I should talk to my father, and I did. Now _give it back_."

I waggled my finger. "Eh, eh, I said talk to your father in a civilized manner and then come talk to me. _Then_ ," I pulled the 'Saber from my belt. "You could have it back."

Before he could grab it I put it back into the loop of my belt and stood from my seat, eager to get away from Kel. "Now, excuse us, Kel, but we have some private matters to discuss." He didn't even protest as I rushed out from the Cantina with Dustil in tow.

Once we were outside of the 'convenience building' (I named it that because it had a whole bunch of convenience kiosks and such) and down the ramp I pulled Dustil aside so we wouldn't be overheard or seen by anyone coming out through the doors. "So," I began, "how did things go?"

"What do you think?" He snapped at me.

"I think you should watch your tone," I patted the 'Saber. "Or you might not get this back as soon as you'd hoped."

"I could kill you, if I wanted to."

I growled and grabbed the hilt of the 'Saber, pressing it against his skull, just like I had back in the Academy. "Remember, I'm the one with the weapons _and_ the bad temper." I twisted the hilt against his temple. "' _Do you really want to test us?_ '"

That's when I saw it, then, the shiver down his spine, the tensing of his shoulders, the _fear_ in his eyes. I was so tempted to just flip the switch, to see those shades of red mix, watch the light in his eyes die.

I shook my head. **Sweet lord, what's wrong with me?** I removed the 'Saber from Dustil's skull and placed it back into the belt loop, releasing a heavy sigh. "Harmony?"

Despite the anger that I could feel coursing through him, there was a small tenderness in his voice. "What?"

"Who exactly is 'us'?"

"None of your concern."

I was right, too, it _wasn't_ any of his concern. Not until the situation became concerning, which I promised myself would never happen. Of course, a certain _someone_ had other plans for me, ones I wasn't exactly keen on being part of. She was really starting to become a pain in the rear.

"Fine." He hissed. "One thing I would like to know, though, is what's going on with you and Algwinn?"

"Absolutely nothing." I answered. "He just had a little too much to drink, is all."

Well, that was a bit of a white lie. To be completely honest, Kel and I had almost the same amount to drink. However, I didn't know how much his liver could resist the alcoholic content of the drinks we were having. What else could I have tole him? I also didn't know how long Dustil had been standing there and watching us.

Dustil didn't look too convinced. "And just how interested do you think Master Uthar would be if he knew what I saw?"

My eyes narrowed menacingly. "And just how interested do you think Master Uthar would be if he knew you showed mercy towards your _father_?"

"What makes you think I let the old man live?"

I crossed my arms. "You're extremely angry and that means you didn't vent any frustrations out, or, to be frank, you didn't kill who you wanted to. Whenever you satisfy whatever blood lust you have, you're still angry but it isn't apparent in your Force trail or in the way you behave. I also can sense that you didn't use the Force, meaning that you didn't use it to kill anyone or anything. Therefore, you didn't kill your father or his companion. Hell, you didn't even harm a hair on their heads, did you?"

Dustil scowled and rolled his eyes. "That's also the face you make when you know I'm right but you don't want to admit it."

"Shut up." He snapped at me.

Although I knew what had happened when Dustil met with Carth, I still needed to ask. "So, what happened, exactly?"

"None of your business. All you need to know is that they're alive." He eyed me up and down. "Just how do you know those two, anyways? _Especially_ my father."

"None of your business." I repeated his words back to him. And it wasn't at all - when one is associated with a soldier from the Republic, that often would spell bad news. And if Dustil knew how I had met Carth and Winter, things would not turn out well for anyone back on the _Ebon Hawk_ , especially Master Zhar.

He took a dangerous step towards me and I took a step back. "Oh, I think that it's _plenty_ of my business when family is involved."

"So you just admitted that Carth is your family."

"By blood, but definitely not through bond."

I scoffed. "Still family."

He took another step forward but I stood my ground. "So, let me ask again, how do you know my father?"

I shrugged. "And as I said, none of your business. You don't want me prodding into your personal life, I don't want you prodding into mine. So, _back off_!"

It was in that moment that something finally snapped in Dustil. I could see it in his eyes, in his body language. For a moment, his eyes sharpened to a dark hazel and his body didn't even quiver. He then sniffed. "Fine, I guess we'll do this the hard way."

I half expected Dustil to start trying to fight me, or push me to the edge of the cliff or into the wall. Nothing happened, however. Nothing _physical_ anyways.

I felt a very insistent pushing in my mind, one that was not familiar to me. **Doors being opened when they should be locked, hallways walked in that were meant to be abandoned. An intruder, an unwelcome guest. Need to get him out!** As quickly and as best as I could, I threw up a mental shield in an attempt to keep Dustil from delving any further into my mind.

"No point in trying to resist, Harmony." I heard Dustil say.

**Keep up the shields, keep him in one hallway, barricade the doors and windows. Don't let him in, don't let him out.** I continued to keep the mental shield up as best as I could. Dustil's prodding, however, was starting to feel like nails were being pounded into the crevices of my brain.

My eyes closed in an attempt to concentrate further. _"The less visual distractions there are, the more mental concentration you can achieve."_ I remember Master Zhar saying to me once.

**Flood the hallways, drown him out, don't let him breath...**

I could hear Dustil chuckle. "Interesting thoughts. Trying to distract me or keep me away. Smart." I groaned as another wave of pain hit me. "But not smart enough."

Have you ever had a hornet sting you, or an animal bite you? Well, that was what I was feeling within my mind right then, only, it felt like about a dozen nests of hornets had been unleashed inside my mind, stinging whatever area they could touch. I felt something press against my entire back.

**Trapped in a corner, can't get out. I need to get out!**

"Open your eyes, Harmony..."

Instinctively, my eyes shot open and were met with the sinister gleam of Dustil's hazel eyes. There was something predatory about that look in his eyes, something almost feral. "I'm not the only one up here, am I?"

I didn't answer him, _couldn't_ answer him. It felt like I didn't have any voice, like something was gripping onto it and holding it down. I turned my head away from him, desperately trying to find a way to escape this mental pain that I was feeling.

I flinched when I felt his breath against my ear. "There's someone else, _something_ else. Isn't there? Now I'm curious..."

Another wave of intense pain hit me and I couldn't stop the near sob that escaped my lips, the shudder that swept through my entire body. Never before had I felt so weak, so _exposed_. I never felt so _violated_ before.

"Stop resisting..." He whispered.

A deep growl resonated in my throat and my eyes closed once again. **Drown him out, drown out the pain, the fear, the anger... Drown** Her **out!**

"Your choice."

It felt like a knife was being embedded into my brain, twisting and writhing, breaking my skull, fracturing my mind. I gasped at the fresh pain, my knees buckling from underneath me. Dustil had caught me before I fell, arms around my waist, pinning me to the wall. "Why so much secrecy? Unless you're really not a Sith after all..."

That's when I finally let go. There was no such thing as 'mercy' on Korriban, so why show it? Why be the saint amongst the sinners, the angel amongst devils, the savior amongst conquerors, the lawman amongst thieves?

**_Just let it all go..._ **

/ / /

I'll admit, he's a boy after my own heart; ruthless, a tyrant, truly dark. But he chose the wrong people to force that darkness onto.

She had finally let go, finally stepped aside, finally let me out of the cage that I have been pacing in for so long. Poor girl. She tried so hard to hold me back, to let Grace be her guide. In the end, the Darkness always will swallow the light.

I could still feel him in her mind, but he sensed a sudden change. I laughed, then. " _Why hesitate so much? Why not keep going, discover her secrets?_ "

The boy, Dustil, was taken aback and I used that to my advantage. I bit down, hard, onto his exposed neck, satisfied as he screamed and as the familiar metallic tang of blood hit my tongue. He stapped far back, released me and holding onto his neck. He no longer had that evil glint in his eyes that he originally had. Now, there was confusion, and dare I say fear, in his eyes.

I chuckled and licked at the blood that ran from the corner of my mouth. " _You were right; there is someone else up here._ " I tapped at her head. " _Now you will pay the price for your discovery._ "

"What the hell are you?!"

I pulled his Lightsaber out and activated it, grinning from ear-to-ear. " _Your living hell._ "


	18. Taking Over

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for not getting this updated. This chapter was already added on FFN but I forgot to add it here. Sorry about that...

The fear in his eyes sharpened at the sight of the crimson blade. " _You wanted to know who else was in here_ , _so here we are_."

Poor boy, defenseless and so, completely vulnerable. Of course, we were right near Dreshdae and the Academy, but I doubt he would run away. That's not what a Sith would do. And that shall be his downfall. Regardless if he did or not, this was a Sith infested world; fights are rampant and death is a constant. I cocked her head to the side. " _What, not going to run to your friends_?"

I swung his Lightsaber and slowly started approaching him. I had to admit, being able to freely move about without having that wretched girl keeping me in line felt absolutely amazing! I didn't have too long, of course, so I was going to milk each precious second of freedom for what it was worth.

And I was going to do that by tearing this boy's limbs straight out from his body, one by one.

"Harmony, c'mon, there's no need to act like this." He had said to me.

I laughed. " _Oh, there is_ plenty _of need_. _And Harmony_?" I shrugged her shoulders. " _She's not here anymore_..." I said in a little sing-song voice.

He managed to muster up some courage. "How do I know you're not just pretending?"

I laughed heartily. " _Oh_ , _I thought you knew her by now; she can't pretend, she_ doesn't _pretend._ " I then shrugged her shoulders. " _Well,_ most of the time _she doesn't pretend. She also wouldn't do this_."

Using the Force, I grabbed the boy by his throat and pulled him closer to her face, staring into his eyes. They shone with fear, which almost excited me. _Almost_. But not quite enough. I chuckled as Dustil struggled for air, grabbing at the invisible hands that grasped his throat so firmly. " _She was weak, too weak to be a woman and finish you off like she should have. She showed you mercy, which is something I'm never going to show you!_ "

I tossed him off to the side, making him roll across the dry, dusty ground. I swung his Lightsaber around, grinning from ear-to-ear as he gasped for air. " _Can't fight back, now that you don't have your precious weapon?_ "

He glared at me with venomous eyes, a look I almost felt proud of. Then, he did something I wasn't expecting.

The damn boy shot at me!

He had a small hand-blaster, hidden away under his belt. And he used it to shoot me. Clever boy.

The red-hot blast hit her shoulder, which I only shrugged off. " _You have to do far better than that if you want to hurt us,_ boy _!_ "

He continued to fire several blasts at me, which I was either able to dodge or block with his Lightsaber. Eventually, his blaster overheated, leaving him vulnerable once again. With an evil laugh, I asked him. " _Tell me, Dustil, if I were to cut you open, would there be a heart there?_ "

"I would certainly love to see you try!" He snarled at me.

I sniffed. " _Very well._ " With a vicious cry, I lunged at the boy, bringing the Lightsaber down.

He managed to roll out of the way before I actually stabbed him, making the Lightsaber embed itself into the ground. I growled and pulled it from the ground, switching it from one hand to the other. " _You may as well give up now!_ " I told him. " _I'm not going anywhere for a long while!_ "

"Harmony!"

I rolled her eyes and groaned. Of all the people, why did it have to be the stupid girl's master? Forcing a smile, I turned to face the Jedi. " _Nothing wrong here,_ Silais _._ " I mocked him. " _Just a little friendly sparring, is all._ "

Of course he saw right through me. I remembered the Jedi Master well. Last person I took control of had been his Padawan, and he did not react well. Of course, this time, he looked determined to keep the girl safe. He was failing. Quite miserably. The Twi'lek drew a long blade from its hilt. "You are not going to harm either of them!"

I laughed. " _I won't harm her_ _._ " I pointed to Dustil. "Him _, however, that's a story all on its own!_ "

My distraction cost me, as Dustil's blaster had cooled down enough for him to fire another shot at me, this time, landing directly in the center of her back. I groaned, slightly out of pain, and turned to face him. " _Was that your best shot?_ "

His eyes widened in surprise.

I smiled. Using the Force, I grabbed him by his throat and pulled the boy towards me, pointing the Lightsaber at his throat, threatening him, but also using him as a shield. " _One step closer, one call for help, and this boy's head will be clean from his shoulders!_ "

I knew Zhar better than he even knew himself. And I knew he knew me and what I could do. Even if he obeyed what I told him, he knew I would still kill Dustil without a second thought. However, he would still try. He was too soft, too caring for life. And here I thought the Jedi were without souls, with all their "There is no emotion" bullshit.

"She has been through enough, Malice." He told me, still keeping his blade drawn. "She doesn't need blood on her hands from your doings!"

I cocked her head off to the side. I looked into his mind, pushing past the barriers that he had forced up. There, I found it. The thoughts he held back, pushed back, the thoughts he did not want. " _Oh, really? Is that what is going on?_ "

He glared at me, but he held his ground.

" _Are you sure that it's her who has been through enough? Or is it that_ you _have been through enough? Is that_ you _don't need more blood on_ your _hands?_ "

With a scoff, I released Dustil and he gasped for air once again, dragging himself away from me. I deactivated the Lightsaber, but I did not place it back on her belt. " _You lost one, and you're not willing to lose another. You care about her, I think. You best keep your emotions in check, though_ _._ " I mocked him further.

"You know _nothing_..."

I raised an eyebrow. " _Very well. I will leave her be. However, note that the next time she lets me back up to the surface, I_ won't _go down as easily._ "

As much as I hated it, hated having to chain myself back up, it would be worth the wait. It didn't take the girl long to let me out, so the next time it happens, I knew that I would have a much longer time in staying unchained. And I would love every second of it!

I took a breath, gaining a small scent of the freedom I knew I would have again. I stopped resisting, letting her pull me back.

Of course, I wouldn't go down quietly.

/ / /

_ **Zhar** _

I couldn't have caught her before she fell. How could I, without revealing who I was? I couldn't use the Force to help with my speed, or use the Force to catch her before she hit the ground. Regardless, I still ran to her, but I didn't truly know why.

I knelt down beside her, placing two fingers under her jawline. She was alive, thank the Force, but her pulse was slow, even for a Zabrak's. Malice had forced her to black out, nearly shutting her mind down.

The boy, Dustil, was nowhere to be seen. I only hoped that he was wise enough to keep his mouth shut about what had happened here. I carefully picked her up, careful as to not upset her injuries. Blaster shots could cauterize on impact, but stretching the surface of the wound could open it up. I didn't want her bleeding out.

Out of all of the people in the Galaxy, why did They have to choose her? Harmony was an innocent young child, still not having completely found herself and who she is. By choosing her, they have placed a heavy weight on her shoulders. Harmony was strong, both mentally and physically, but she treasured life and despised things that threatened it. There was only so much she could handle before she would break.

As I carried her back to the ship, I had gotten a few odd stares. Of course, most of the stares came from the few Sith students who had seen me with Harmony in the Academy. It might not help with that one woman, Lashowe, if she caught wind of Harmony's 'servant' carrying her in such a manner. Then again, after earlier that day, I doubt she would speak ill of Harmony again. Not anytime soon, that is.

Her father, the Mandalorian, was quick to take her from my arms when he saw us. "What the hell happened to her?!" He demanded.

"A fight with that boy, Dustil."

"The full truth!"

"Has she not told you?"

The Mandalorian narrowed his eyes at me.

I released a short sigh. "Perhaps we should get her inside before we discuss this."

/ / /

_"Are you letting me win, Harmony?"_

_I move the pawn, knocking off Her own pawn. "That was just a slip..." I tell Her._

_She laughs. "Oh, I hardly call it a slip when you willingly set me free."_ _She moves Her rook, knocking out my bishop._

_"A slip in judgement." I reply to Her. "It won't happen again."_

_"Are you sure of that?"_

_I move my own rook, knocking hers off. "No, but that doesn't mean I won't try."_

_Malice laughs again. "Oh, you can try," She moves Her knight, now putting me in Check. "But are you certain you will succeed?"_

_I look up into Her demonic eyes, not daring to look away. "Battles are important in a war. But they are not as important as the final one." I move my Queen, knocking off Her knight and placing Her in Checkmate. "You might be winning, but in the end, the Light_ always _pushes out the Dark."_

_She smiles evilly and stands from Her seat, staring me down. "Just how many battles can you endure before you finally break, though?" She walks around the stone table and places a single finger on my King. "How many battles can you endure before you finally fall?" She flicks Her finger, knocking my King down._

_"I may not be strong now, but I have friends. They will always be there to catch me if I were to fall."_

_Malice scoffs. "Believe what you will. We shall continue this again soon. But now, they are beginning to worry."_

/ / /

My eyes shot open and I gasped like I had just broken the surface of water. Did Malice always intend to give me a heart attack whenever I woke from a dream?! I sat up on the cot, rubbing the bridge of my nose.

"You were out for a few hours, kid." Canderous said. "And you were thrashing around a bit. You alright?"

I shrugged. "Could be worse. Could be dead."

"It's a lot worse than I ever thought. Why didn't you tell me about this... _thing_ in your head?"

My head snapped up and I stared wide-eyed at him. "How the hell do you know what?"

He pointed beside the cot, and I looked to see Zhar standing against the wall, arms crossed and a look of regret on his face. "He wished to know what had happened. I could not lie to him."

I glared at him. "Thanks, Zhar..." I growled and turned my attention back to Canderous. "Look, it was something I wanted to keep to myself. You didn't need to know that there was these spirits swimming around in my head."

"I am your father!" He snapped, his grey eyes suddenly gleaming with anger. "I have a right to know these kinds of things."

I glared right back at him, undeterred. "I have a right to know things as well, because I am your daughter!"

Zhar was about to leave and I pointed a finger at him, accusingly. "You are not off the hook, here, so don't go too far!"

I could almost feel him rolling his eyes as he left the med bay, leaving Canderous and I to our own devices. I sighed, holding my head in my hands. "I understand that you're concerned for me, _Buir_ , but I don't need you babysitting me. I'm not a little girl anymore."

He didn't respond for the longest time, I had thought he had left the room altogether. Angry, no doubt. He was stubborn, in that sense. I felt his hand rest on my shoulder, making me almost jump in surprise. "I know you're not. But you're still my daughter. When Veela and I put you on Taris, I felt like I neglected you. In a sense, I lost you. After Taris, after you prevented Calo from setting off that detonator, I found you again. But you weren't all there."

As he spoke, his hand would tighten its grip over my shoulder. This was very hard for him to admit, I realized. He was not a man who would openly speak about his emotions and personal thoughts. No Mandalorian was, really, but this reigned especially true for Canderous.

"I... don't want to lose you. If I did... I don't know what I'd do."

I looked up at him, a smile on my face. "You'd probably shoot the ass off of the person who hurt me."

He chuckled. "That's true, _Ord'ika_."

My smile immediately disappeared. I knew that having the diminutive suffix _'ika'_ around the end of a Mandalorian clan name - for example if you were from clan Fett it would be _Fett'ika_ , or if you were from clan Bralor it would be _Bral'ika_ \- meant, in full, "little Ordo" or "little Fett" and so on. But that was more meant for younger Mandalorians. I was seventeen, nearly eighteen. "I'm not little anymore, Canderous. I'm nearly an adult!"

He laughed, then, tussling my hair in a joking manner. "You're still my kid."

I pushed his hand off from my head, straightening out my hair. "But I'm not little. Calling me _Ord'ika_ makes me sound cute, which I'm not."

"Would you rather I called you _Copikla Ord'ika_?"

"Would you rather have your tongue ripped out?" I asked in return.

 _Copikla_ was the _Mando'a_ term for cute. However, you only used the word with babies and animals, and you _never_ used the term for a woman. This reigned especially true for men, unless they wanted their heads ripped off. Of course, it could be said to women who were not from a clan, but if you said it to a Mandalorian woman... let's just say not very many people would walk away unscathed. Mandalorians were tough and proud people, they weren't cute. This was especially true for me; I hated being called cute in general!

Canderous just smirked and shook his head. "You're just like your mother, some days."

I tilted my head to the side. "Like mother, like daughter." I joked.

" _Haat o'r an nuhune, Ord'ika._ "

My face fell. "I, ah... I didn't catch all that. I speak some _Mando'a_ , but not so fluently."

He suddenly looked confused. "Didn't Ca'tra speak the Mandalorian language? We left you with her for a reason."

I shrugged, swinging my legs around and jumping off from the cot. "You gotta remember, Canderous, I am suffering some memory loss. Even if she did, I can't remember much of anything."

He pushed at my back, urging me out from the med bay. "Well, looks like I still have lots to teach you, then."

I dug my heels into the steel floor. "Hold on, I still need to talk to Zhar!"

"Just drop it, kid."

I huffed, crossing my arms defiantly. "Fine. He still ain't off the hook, though."

/ / /

Canderous was impressed with how quickly I had been learning _Mando'a_. Although I knew some basic words and phrases, I didn't know the language like he did. But I caught on quickly (Canderous said it was because of my Mandalorian lineage). Eventually he started to test me by speaking just in _Mando'a_ and I would have to reply back in _Mando'a_. Kodan had also eventually joined in, making it a three-way conversation. We had attracted the attention of Danny, who had just been passing by when he heard us talking back and forth. He sat down on a container beside me, closely watching me, but I ignored him.

He suddenly whispered in my ear, "I don't think Juhani is happy that you're speaking that language."

I snapped at him. " _Shab'ye_ , Dan!"

I immediately covered my mouth, making Canderous and Kodan laugh. Danny gave me a confused yet suspicious look. "Why do I get the feeling that I just got told to screw off in Mandalorian?"

I looked over to Juhani, whom was standing just outside the door to the garage, my hand still over my mouth. Thinking she might have understood what I had said, I gave her an apologetic look, but she just sneered at me. "Why must you learn that language?"

I uncovered my mouth. "Well, just because I'm learning _Mando'a_ doesn't entirely mean I'm a Mandalorian, now does it? Just like how I use the Force," using the Force, I lifted Juhani's Lightsaber out from its hilt. "Doesn't make me a _Jetii_."

I released the Lightsaber and she caught it as it fell. She gave me one final disapproving glance before she took off. To where, I wasn't really sure. But I didn't care much.

Dan tapped me on my shoulder. "Mind teaching me some _Mando'a_?"

I shrugged. "No, because then I can't talk about you without you knowing."

He shoved me playfully, and I shoved him back. "Fine, I'll just learn something else and leave you out of the loop."

"Remember, Dan, I know more languages than you do. Chances are if you learn one, I'll already know at least some of it."

"You know, you're a real kill-joy."

I smiled sarcastically. "I try."


End file.
